Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: a Critical Guide (review)

Language barriers confront modern students with obstacles inherent to the study of medieval literatures. In the preface to the 1985 printing of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Critical Guide, the authors acknowledge this difficulty and explain that Western teachers of Old Norse-Icelandic studies cannot count on their students to possess 'uniform preparation or even command of the Scandinavian languages, in which most of the information on our literature is available' (p. 3). Their aim in assembling this volume of bibliographical essays, then, is to present readers with an accessible guide to the most popular genres of Old Norse-Icelandic literature. This guide is designed to present those students and academics who do not have the time (or the inclination) to combat these language barriers with an efficient outlet for locating information relevant to their studies.

It is somewhat frustrating to find, despite their assertions that they will do otherwise, that the authors suggest a conspicuous number of non-English references in the original preface, and also in the new preface to the second printing. The updated section on research surrounding the Konungasögur, for example, directs readers to twenty-four noteworthy texts: twelve in English, and twelve in several Scandinavian languages. Of the English sources mentioned, seven are translations of assorted sagas, three are works written by one author (Bagge), and only two provide insights into new scholarship in the field. In contrast, the twelve Scandinavian sources cited are all innovative monographs or articles; all are tantalisingly unavailable morsels of progressive research, dangled before the English readers' reach, and then held firmly behind the language barrier. The authors also refer readers to similarly inaccessible sources in lieu of providing chapters on the fornaldarsögur (we are directed toward Bucholz's Vorzeitkunde instead), or the bishops' sagas (Koppenberg's Hagiographische Studien zu den Byskupasögur is suggested as an ideal starting point for scholars).

Originally published in 1985, Old Norse-Icelandic Literature remains largely unchanged; the only addition to the volume in this second printing is Theodore M. Andersson's new preface. Andersson briefly explains that the twenty year-old essays are 'in obvious need of updating,' but a 'reprint allows for no more than a short preface with some indication of more recent work' (p. 8). This disclaimer is not entirely convincing, nor is the simple addition of a new preface the most satisfying resolution to the problem of addressing two decades of prolific research in Old Norse-Icelandic studies. In his own contribution to the volume, Andersson laments that there is 'virtually nothing of general interest on Jómsvíkinga saga or Færeyinga saga' (p. 223); however, his new preface fails to mention that Hollander and Thurgood published an interesting new translation of The Saga of the Jómsvíkings in 1989. An updated edition of this volume, instead of another reprinting, is a desideratum.

This volume is best read in instalments. By its very nature, it is intended as a guide, and is thus not conducive to serial reading. Nor do I find it advisable to read each chapter consecutively, despite the authors' contention that 'the determining factor in [the structure of the] volume is natural sequence' (p. 5). Readers with specific interests in Old Norse-Icelandic prose may find some of the earlier chapters difficult to follow. Lindow assumes readers have a repository of knowledge about Norse mythology and mythography already at their disposal, and so begins his literature review in medias res. In the second chapter, Harris presents a minutely thorough, and compartmentalized bibliographic 'introduction' to eddic poetry that, although sweeping in scope, is fairly dense and challenging. Frank's essay requires a more than functional knowledge of the metrical, lexical and syntactical history of skaldic scholarship; it is otherwise an engaging and illuminating discussion of twentieth-century trends in skaldic poetry scholarship.

Scholars whose interests lie in the study of prose...