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Argues for new models of reading the complexity and subversiveness of fourteen "post-classical" sagas. The late Sagas of Icelanders, thought to be written in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, have hitherto received little scholarly attention. Previous generations of critics have unfavourably compared them to "classical"
Íslendingasögur and
fornaldarsögur, leading modern audiences to project their expectations onto narratives that do not adhere to simple taxonomies and preconceived notions of genre. As "rogues" within the canon, they challenge the established notions of what makes an
Íslendingasaga.
Based on a critical appraisal of conceptualisations of canon and genre in saga literature, this book offers a new reading of the relationship between the individual, paranormal, and social dimensions that form the foundation of these sagas. It draws on a multidisciplinary approach, informed by perspectives as diverse as "possible worlds" theory, gender studies, and social history. The "post-classical" sagas are not only read anew and integrated into both their generic and socio-historical context; they are met on their own terms, allowing their fascinating narratives to speak for themselves.
List of contents
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Note on Spelling and Translations
1. Introducing the 'Post-Classical'
Íslendingasögur2. The Protagonist
3. The Paranormal
4. Society
5. Expanding the Sagaverse: Fictionality and Narrative World
6. Alternate Histories of the Settlement
Conclusion: Rogue Sagas
Appendix: The 'Post-Classical' Corpus
Bibliography
Index
About the author
REBECCA MERKELBACH is assistant professor of Old Norse-Icelandic studies at the University of Tübingen, Germany.
