Nordic Sagas as Children's Literature - Victorian and Edwardian Retellings in Words and Pictures

This book examines translations of Icelandic sagas and the Victorian and Edwardian children's literature they inspired, some of which are canonical while others are forgotten. It covers authors like William Morris, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Thomas Gray, Walter Scott, H. Rider Haggard, W.H. Auden, John Greenleef Whittier and more. In lavish volumes and modest schoolbooks, British and American writers claimed Nordic heritage and explored Nordic traditions. The sagas offered a rich and wide-ranging source for these authors: Volsunga saga's Sigurd the dragon slayer; King Olaf's saga of opposing Nordic Gods and Christianity; Frithiof's model of headstrong youth beset with unfair opposition and lost love. Grettir and Njal tell of men who accepted fate and met conflict and enemies unflinchingly; Aslaug, Gudrida, Hallberga and Hervar exerted remarkable influence; and Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky provided Americans with a Nordic heritage of discovery.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I. Contexts and Criticisms

1.¿English Translations

2.¿British Writers Celebrate the North

3.¿American Heritage

Part II. Nordic Sagas as Children's Literature

4.¿World Collections

5.¿European Collections

6.¿Books of Nordic Stories

7.¿Nordic Favorite Heroes

Part III. Schoolbooks

8.¿Wide-Ranging Schoolbooks

9.¿Schoolbooks of Nordic Sagas

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Velma Bourgeois Richmond is a professor emerita of English at Holy Names University, Oakland, California. She lives in Berkeley, California.

Summary

Examines translations of Icelandic sagas and the Victorian and Edwardian children’s literature that they inspired, some canonical, others forgotten. The book covers contributions from authors like William Morris, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Thomas Gray, Walter Scott, H. Rider Haggard, W.H. Auden, John Greenleef Whittier and more.

Product details

• Authors: Velma Bourgeois Richmond, Richmond Velma Bourgeois
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.08.2023
• EAN: 9781476691633
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-9163-3
• No. of pages: 379
• Dimensions: 178 mm x 254 mm x 19 mm
• Weight: 671 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; LITERARY CRITICISM / European / German, LITERARY CRITICISM / Children's & Young Adult Literature, Folklore, myths & legends, Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Literary studies: general, Literature: history and criticism, Children's & teenage literature studies, Literary companions, book reviews & guides, Children’s and teenage literature studies: general, Folklore studies / Study of myth (mythology)