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Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Short Introduction

ISBN: 978-0-470-77683-4

April 2008

Wiley-Blackwell

256 pages

Description

From runic inscriptions to sagas, this book introduces readers to the colourful world of Old Norse-Icelandic literature.

  • An introduction to the colourful world of Old Norse-Icelandic literature.
  • Covers mythology and family sagas, as well as less well-known areas, such as oral story-telling, Eddaic verse and skaldic verse.
  • An introduction helps readers to appreciate the language and culture of the first settlers in Iceland.
  • Looks at the reception of Old-Norse-Icelandic literature over the ages, as views of the vikings have changed.
  • Shows how a whole range of authors from Shakespeare to Seamus Heaney have been influenced by Old Norse-Icelandic literature.
About the Author

Heather O'Donoghue is Reader in Old Norse at Oxford University. She is a regular contributor to the Times Literary Supplement.

Features

  • An introduction to the colourful world of Old Norse-Icelandic literature.
  • Covers mythology and family sagas, as well as less well-known areas, such as oral story-telling, Eddaic verse and skaldic verse.
  • An introduction helps readers to appreciate the language and culture of the first settlers in Iceland.
  • Looks at the reception of Old-Norse-Icelandic literature over the ages, as views of the vikings have changed.
  • Shows how a whole range of authors from Shakespeare to Seamus Heaney have been influenced by Old Norse-Icelandic literature.