Blaney, Benjamin. The Narrative Technique of Character Delineation in Egils saga

• Author: Blaney, Benjamin
• Title: The Narrative Technique of Character Delineation in Egils saga Skalla-Grimssonar
• Published in: Les Sagas de Chevaliers. Actes de la V. Conférence Internationale sur les Sagas
• Editor: Régis Boyer
• Place, Publisher: Toulon: Presses de l’Université Paris-Sorbonne
• Year: 1985
• Pages: 343-53
• E-text:
• Reference: Blaney, Benjamin. "The Narrative Technique of Character Delineation in Egils saga Skalla-Grimssonar." Les Sagas de Chevaliers. Actes de la V. Conférence Internationale sur les Sagas, pp. 343-53. Ed. Régis Boyer. Toulon: Presses de l’Université Paris-Sorbonne, 1985.

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• Key words:

Annotation

Blaney discusses how the narrative descriptions of characters are used in the Icelandic sagas and specifically Egils saga. He goes through the story and shows how its author used parallels and contrasts to add depth to the main character, Egill.

Lýsing

Blaney fjallar um hvernig persónulýsingar eru notaðar í Íslendingasögunum og tekur Egils sögu sérstaklega fyrir. Hann fer í gegn um söguna og sýnir hvernig höfundur hennar hefur notað hliðstæður og andstæður til að fá dýpt í aðalpersónuna Egil.

References

Chapter 55: þá er hann var reiður: "This technique is used most effectively in chapter 55 of Egils saga where Egill finally takes over centre stage after the death of Þórólfr at the battle of Vínheiðr. All action seems to halt while the author skilfully builds the tension by giving a long description of Egill sitting across from the king, still in his armour, violently pulling his sword halfway out of its scabbard and slamming it back in." (p. 344).

Links

• Written by: Hildur Ýr Ísberg
• English translation: Hildur Ýr Ísberg