One of the hallmarks of the honorand’s research has been its breadth, its active attempts to comp... more One of the hallmarks of the honorand’s research has been its breadth, its active attempts to compare how different medieval societies worked, and its awareness of how different academic communities think about their subjects. In different places Iceland has figured as a frame of reference. This chapter aims to consider briefly how Iceland serves as a comparator now, some thirty years after a growth in anglophone scholarship helped develop interest in the country. In that period Icelandic archaeology has developed significantly and international scholarly trends have influenced the literary and historical scholarship related to Iceland. It briefly considers ways in which Iceland’s socio-political structures might be considered differently to how they were thirty years ago, and how recent views of other medieval Western societies suggest some new similarities and differences between Iceland and elsewhere.
In the nineteenth century Freeman suggested that Cnut's conquest of England was his great achieve... more In the nineteenth century Freeman suggested that Cnut's conquest of England was his great achievement and his most valued territorial gain. This romanticized vision has been questioned, revised and challenged in the intervening period. However, the influence of Freeman is still felt, not so much in the perpetuation of his argument, but in the concentration by historians on Cnut's English possessions. Quite understandably so, given the dearth of written sources for Denmark and Norway in the period, and the need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach in order to arrive at any conclusions at all. Bolton's book is therefore welcome on two counts, first because he offers new insight into the debate on Cnut's attitude to his Anglo-Saxon realm, and secondly owing to Bolton's refusal to be daunted by the necessity of engaging with diverse disciplines in order to integrate the Danish and Norwegian evidence into his overall argument.
Locating and dating sagas is a difficult but still important task. This paper examines the relati... more Locating and dating sagas is a difficult but still important task. This paper examines the relationship between the Sagas of Icelanders, which are concerned with tenth- and eleventh-century events, and the contemporary sagas of the mid-thirteenth century. Drawing upon models from anthropology, it looks at how contemporary ideas permeated these historicizing texts and how genealogy and geography act as structures around which the past is remembered. The many political relationships which occur in Laxdæla saga are analysed in relation to those from contemporary sagas from the same area of western Iceland. Since it appears that there is relatively little in common between the political situations depicted in Laxdæla saga and those portrayed in the contemporary sagas, it is likely that Laxdæla saga and the contemporary sagas were actually written down in different periods. It is possible, therefore, that the Sagas of Icelanders give us a view of the past which originates earlier than is usually suggested.
One of the hallmarks of the honorand’s research has been its breadth, its active attempts to comp... more One of the hallmarks of the honorand’s research has been its breadth, its active attempts to compare how different medieval societies worked, and its awareness of how different academic communities think about their subjects. In different places Iceland has figured as a frame of reference. This chapter aims to consider briefly how Iceland serves as a comparator now, some thirty years after a growth in anglophone scholarship helped develop interest in the country. In that period Icelandic archaeology has developed significantly and international scholarly trends have influenced the literary and historical scholarship related to Iceland. It briefly considers ways in which Iceland’s socio-political structures might be considered differently to how they were thirty years ago, and how recent views of other medieval Western societies suggest some new similarities and differences between Iceland and elsewhere.
In the nineteenth century Freeman suggested that Cnut's conquest of England was his great achieve... more In the nineteenth century Freeman suggested that Cnut's conquest of England was his great achievement and his most valued territorial gain. This romanticized vision has been questioned, revised and challenged in the intervening period. However, the influence of Freeman is still felt, not so much in the perpetuation of his argument, but in the concentration by historians on Cnut's English possessions. Quite understandably so, given the dearth of written sources for Denmark and Norway in the period, and the need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach in order to arrive at any conclusions at all. Bolton's book is therefore welcome on two counts, first because he offers new insight into the debate on Cnut's attitude to his Anglo-Saxon realm, and secondly owing to Bolton's refusal to be daunted by the necessity of engaging with diverse disciplines in order to integrate the Danish and Norwegian evidence into his overall argument.
Locating and dating sagas is a difficult but still important task. This paper examines the relati... more Locating and dating sagas is a difficult but still important task. This paper examines the relationship between the Sagas of Icelanders, which are concerned with tenth- and eleventh-century events, and the contemporary sagas of the mid-thirteenth century. Drawing upon models from anthropology, it looks at how contemporary ideas permeated these historicizing texts and how genealogy and geography act as structures around which the past is remembered. The many political relationships which occur in Laxdæla saga are analysed in relation to those from contemporary sagas from the same area of western Iceland. Since it appears that there is relatively little in common between the political situations depicted in Laxdæla saga and those portrayed in the contemporary sagas, it is likely that Laxdæla saga and the contemporary sagas were actually written down in different periods. It is possible, therefore, that the Sagas of Icelanders give us a view of the past which originates earlier than is usually suggested.
The last fifty years have seen a significant change in the focus of saga studies, from a preoccupation with origins and development to a renewed interest in other topics, such as the nature of the sagas and their value as sources to medieval ideologies and mentalities.
The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas presents a detailed interdisciplinary examination of saga scholarship over the last fifty years, sometimes juxtaposing it with earlier views and examining the sagas both as works of art and as source materials.
This volume will be of interest to Old Norse and medieval Scandinavian scholars and accessible to medievalists in general.
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Papers by Chris Callow
https://www.amazon.com/Routledge-Research-Companion-Medieval-Icelandic/dp/0367133652/
The last fifty years have seen a significant change in the focus of saga studies, from a preoccupation with origins and development to a renewed interest in other topics, such as the nature of the sagas and their value as sources to medieval ideologies and mentalities.
The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas presents a detailed interdisciplinary examination of saga scholarship over the last fifty years, sometimes juxtaposing it with earlier views and examining the sagas both as works of art and as source materials.
This volume will be of interest to Old Norse and medieval Scandinavian scholars and accessible to medievalists in general.