Review
"...a well-conceived project..." SPECULUM

"eminently well-considered and well-written overview of the nature of medieval Icelandic society and its various social, political, and legal institutions in relation to its literary production and the way in which literature was used...the volume is a stimulating and enjoyable book, especially if read piecemeal and not in one sitting...An important factor to the credit of the volume is its detailed subject and name Index and the full Bioliographies and often-detailes notes at the end of each article, which enable the reader to follow each contributor's tracks." Envoi Spring 2000


Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive account of Old Icelandic literature within its social context. An international team of specialists examines the ways in which the unique medieval social experiment in Iceland, a kingless society without an established authority structure, inspired a wealth of innovative writing composed in the Icelandic vernacular. The book shows how Icelanders explored their uniqueness through poetry, mythologies, metrical treatises, religious writing, and through saga, a new genre that textualized their history and incorporated oral traditions in a written form.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This book provides a comprehensive account of Old Icelandic literature within its social context. An international team of specialists examines the ways in which the unique medieval social experiment in Iceland, a kingless society without an established authority structure, inspired a wealth of innovative writing composed in the Icelandic vernacular. The book shows how Icelanders explored their uniqueness through poetry, mythologies, metrical treatises, religious writing, and through saga, a new genre that textualized their history and incorporated oral traditions in a written form.