Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Contexts
- Part II The Distant Past
- Part III The Saga Age
- Part IV The New Christian World
- PART V Beyond Iceland
- Part VI Compilations
- 23 The Prose Edda
- 24 Samtíðarsögur
- 25 Learned Literature
- 26 Grágás and the Legal Culture of Commonwealth Iceland
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
23 - The Prose Edda
from Part VI - Compilations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 February 2024
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I Contexts
- Part II The Distant Past
- Part III The Saga Age
- Part IV The New Christian World
- PART V Beyond Iceland
- Part VI Compilations
- 23 The Prose Edda
- 24 Samtíðarsögur
- 25 Learned Literature
- 26 Grágás and the Legal Culture of Commonwealth Iceland
- Glossary
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter focuses on Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, providing a thorough introduction to this important text. It argues that few books have been as foundational to several fields of study as Snorri’s treatise has been for the investigation and appreciation of Norse myth, poetry and religion. The opening section of the chapter discusses the work’s title, structure and authorship, and describes the most significant manuscripts and modern translations of the text. It emphasizes the heterogenous character of the Edda, suggesting that the work’s variegated and intertextual nature has given rise to sharply divergent critical impressions of the text and competing theories about its origins and function. The most notable of these different perspectives are summarized, with a comparison of contrasting views on how the Edda came together and what its purpose may have been. Each section of the text is then considered in turn, discussing in detail its content, sources, form and purpose, and the relationship of each section to the compilation as a whole.
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- The Cambridge History of Old Norse-Icelandic Literature , pp. 477 - 498Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024