Torfi H. Tulinius. The Prosimetrum Form

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  • Author: Torfi H. Tulinius
  • Title: The Prosimetrum Form 2: Verses as the Basis for Saga Composition and Interpretation
  • Published in: Skaldsagas. Text, Vocation and Desire in the Icelandic Sagas of Poets. Ed. Russell Poole
  • Place, Publisher: Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter
  • Year: 2001
  • Pages: 191-217
  • E-text:
  • Reference: Torfi H. Tulinius. "The Prosimetrum Form 2: Verses as the Basis for Saga Composition and Interpretation." Skaldsagas. Text, Vocation and Desire in the Icelandic Sagas of Poets, pp. 191–217. Ed. Russell Poole. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, 2001.

  • Key words: poetry, structure, intertextuality (kveðskapur, bygging, textatengsl)


Annotation

Tulinius argues that there is a relationship between the structure of sagas and that of skaldic poetry, and that it is plausible that the narrative of skald sagas generated meaning which was accessible to its medieval audience. He outlines five signs of influence of skaldic aesthetics to saga prose and applies each of them to Egil's Saga: interlacing of plot lines, absent or inconspicuous connectors, intertextuality, semantic unity, and planned ambiguity. Interlace is seen in how seemingly independent plots come together. Inconspicuous connectors are used to link plot lines such as Egil’s relationship with Asgerd. Intertextuality is revealed in allusions made both to pagan myths such as Grímnismál and in Egill’s similarities to King David in the Old Testament. Of unity Tulinius says: "by interlacing different plot lines, which are linked by inconspicuous connectors … and by suggesting the meaning of these plot lines by intertextual allusions, the author has conferred a surprising semantic unity upon the second part of the saga, the story of Egill Skalla-Grímsson" (p. 212). The resulting story still retains deliberate ambiguity much like a skaldic poem.

Lýsing

Torfi heldur því fram að bygging svonefndra skáldasagna beri keim af fagurfræði dróttkvæða og að trúlegt sé að frásagnir skáldasagnanna hafi falið í sér dulda merkingu sem áheyrendur á miðöldum hafi þó getað ráðið. Hann ræðir um fimm einkenni á fagurfræði dróttkvæða sem hægt sé að heimfæra upp á sögurnar og tekur dæmi um þau úr Eglu: fleiri en einn söguþráður fléttast saman, óljósar eða ósýnilegar tengingar, vísanir, merkingarleg eining og meðvituð tvíræðni. Í Eglu fléttist söguþræðir, sem virðast vera sjálfstæðir, saman. Óljósar tengingar eru undirliggjandi í lýsingunni á sambandi Egils og Ásgerðar. Í sögunni megi finna vísanir í heiðnar goðsagnir, til dæmis Grímnismál, og eins þegar hugað er að líkindum Egils og lýsingar Gamla testamentisins á Davíð konungi. Torfi telur að með því að flétta saman sjálfstæða söguþræði og með margháttuðum textatengslum takist höfundi að skapa afar sterka merkingarheild í síðari hluta sögunnar, sem helguð er Agli Skallagrímssyni. Engu að síður sé sagan afar margræð, rétt eins og dróttkvæði eru gjarnan.

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References

Links

  • Written by: Eduardo Ramos
  • Icelandic translation: Jón Karl Helgason