Torfi H. Tulinius
Icelandic sagas : issues and prospects
" The best possibleintroduction to the world of sagas. " William Marx
Iceland fascinates as much by the beauty and hostility of itslandscapes as by the richness of its culture, inherited from the Vikings who colonized the island in the 9th century. The world of Icelandic sagas,steeped in this Nordic imagination, remains unjustly misunderstood, despite its place in the literary edifice of the medieval West and its striking influence on contemporary creation.
What is a saga ? In what context did this genre emerge ? What role did these tales play, recounting events that were sometimes legendary, sometimes historical, sometimes contemporary with their composition ? What do these ambiguous texts say about island society and identity? Torfi H. Tulinius answers these questions with a historical, literaryand aesthetic readingthat sheds valuable light. From the Saga of Egil to the Sagaof Snorri the Godi, via the Sagaof Njáll the Burnt and many others, the author explores the themes of memory, violence and poetics that run through these exceptional works.
Tulinius T. H., Les Sagas islandaises : enjeux et perspectives, Paris, Collège de France, coll. " Conférences ", 2023, 96 p.
ISBN : 978-2-7226-0607-4
Price : 16 €
Publication : 16 February 2023
