Department of History & Welsh History
University of Wales Aberystwyth
HY 32820
Myth & History in the Viking Age:
Saga & Society in Medieval Iceland
Tutor:
This module is intended to provide you with an introduction to interdisciplinary approaches in the study of the human past. More specifically, it aims to illustrate the gains to be had for our understanding of history by using sources and materials which are not, in the strictest sense, ‘historical’. That is, rather than using chronicles, letters, charters and documents, this course is about how literary sources can be used to construct an image of historical reality.
The examples chosen for this course are a number of Icelandic family sagas, written from the thirteenth century onwards. One of the oldest and richest forms of European literary writing, Sagas are a genre which poses a number of problems. An older tradition of literary scholarship was embroiled in debates as to whether sagas were literature or history, that is, did they give an accurate picture of the past, or were they texts produced for the delectation and entertainment of their contemporary audience ?
There are a number of problems with this approach (which we will discuss in the second meeting of this class), and part of the point of this course is to show that such distinctions are – to some extent – futile. We will be seeing how both literary scholars (philologists) and historians look at this particular type of text, and some of the key questions you will have to ask yourselves are:
ð Where do historians and philologists differ in their methods ?
ð What are the types of questions they ask ?
ð How can a philological approach aid our understanding of texts and narratives ?
ð What are the advantages, and what the pitfalls, of using literary sources for the study of the human past ?
We will address these questions by first discussing some of the methodological questions surrounding the sagas as a genre, before dealing with the narrative structure, thematic strands and literary composition of three specific texts – Laxdaela Saga, Egils Saga and Njáls Saga. The first part of the course will thus be taken up with exploring literary approaches to texts.
The second part of this module, in turn, will deal with the ways and means by which literary texts can be used by historians. In particular, we will investigate what these three sagas tell us about certain key features of medieval Icelandic Society:
ð Justice, Family and Honour
ð Feuding & Conflict Resolution
ð Religion
ð Women
ð Iceland and the Wider World
This type of course, more so than other modules you have taken or will take, depends on your input. The less you do for this class, the less you will get out of it. The more you put into it, on the other hand, the more enjoyable it will be.
With the exception of the first seminar, this course will consist of student-led seminars. That is, one or two of you will be called upon to pick a seminar topic, prepare handouts, materials, discussion topics and questions. This includes a short (15 minutes) presentation, followed by discussion, as well as more general seminar work (group work, source analysis, etc.). You will probably end up directing two seminars.
The following list of topics is not graven in stone, and we can always be flexible. I included a list of some key questions to ask, and some key reading, but you will be expected to reach beyond that (always use the bibliography attached to this outline). Those of you not giving a presentation during a specific seminar will equally be expected to prepare, to participate in discussion and to contribute to this class.
As with every other course:
· If you are unsure what something means, ask
· If you disagree with someone, say why.
· If you have difficulties with a particular aspect of this course, ask.
· If you would like to have certain things explained, say so.