Papers: Ideas and bibliography

The paper will be 8-10 pages (typed, double-spaced, 1" margins etc.) with a list of "Works cited" at the end (not included in the page count). You will analyze and synthesize material from a variety of primary and secondary sources. The paper and related materials will be worth 33% of your overall course grade. Two thirds of the grade for the paper will be based on the final draft; the other third will be distributed over the various drafts and preparatory assignments.

You have the freedom to choose or invent a paper topic that interests you within the general subject area of the course, i.e., the culture and literature of Viking Age and Medieval Scandinavia. If you have difficulty thinking of a topic or are unsure whether a particular subject is appropriate, please consult me.

There are two different tracks for the paper you might follow. One: the paper can focus on the Scandinavian sources and their internal beliefs; or, Two, the paper should incorporate a perspective from another culture that came into contact with the Scandinavians and how in influenced their mythology (or has responded to them) or how similar the Scandinavian beliefs are to another culture. The approach may be expressly comparative, contrasting the representations of events, persons, phenomena or places in different myths. Possible topics might include the following:

Track One:
You, but you should focus on some aspect of how the medieval Scandinavians appear to have viewed their Scandinavian ancestors and myths. How were the Scandinavian myths seen from the Scandinavian point of view? This is an extremely broad topic, so you might try to narrow your topic by focusing, for example, on how the Scandinavian mtyhs appear to influence behavioust at home or abroad, how the Scandinavian world view and beliefs appear in sagas, what seem to be the most important or least important traits for a good Scandinavian to have, etc. Some points to keep in mind while writing your paper include the following:

You should take into account some of the primary sources that we have read in class as well as perhaps using sagas for your evidence; you may, if you wish, use other primary sources as well. Please feel free to contact me about any help you need finding other primary sources.

In addition to primary sources, you should use at least two secondary sources. These may be either books or articles (there is a short list at the end of this document). Please be aware that other students in the course may also want the same books and try not to keep books longer than you need them. Make sure to quote or reference your sources where necessary, but don not quote just to quote, make sure that your paper includes your own original ideas as well, and that the citations used contribute to your own argument. Again, if you need help in finding sources, feel free to talk with your instructors.

Track two is a comparison of the content and/or style of two different mythological systems

-representation of a particular mythic figure (e.g. Thor, Odin) in Norse and other related figure; e.g.,

- Thor and Zeus, how they are similar, and how they are different. Remember to explain why you would compare them in the first place.

- conversion of Scandinavians to Christianity as represented in Anglo-Saxon, Irish and/or Norse sources. Aspects of how the previous world view influences the practice of the other.

You may also be interested in analyzing later views (popular or scholarly) of the Vikings, for example:

- the Romantic or modern image of the Scandinavian myth

- different scholarly views on, e.g., the status of women in Old Norse society or the effectiveness of the Old Icelandic legal system with regard to religious practice and how it changed with the conversion

You should have a clear thesis and focus your writing around a specific argument. You will both be working on analyzing texts and on synthesizing information gathered from different sources. I do want to see your own views and interpretations. At the same time, I am primarily interested in analyses which help us to understand the culture of the time on its own terms and/or to perceive non-obvious premises behind the scholarship.

The preliminary drafts and assignments are intended to help you in the paper-writing process and to provide opportunities for feedback and guidance at several points. It is in your best interests to take all components of the assignment seriously.

Breakdown of the grade is as follows:

Proposal (5%)

Annotated Bibliography and Thesis (5%)

Outline (5%)

First Draft (20%)

Final Draft (65%)

Proposal: Due Monday, February 9, 2009.

For the proposal, you should type up a short discussion of the topic you plan to write about, including some of the main points that you hope to argue and your working thesis statement. The proposal should be no more than one page, typed and double-spaced. This assignment will count 5% toward your overall paper grade.

Annotated Bibliography and Thesis Statement: Due Monday, February 23, 2009.

An annotated bibliography is a list of books or articles with a brief description of the main argument of each book or article. You should be able to write between five and ten sentences about each book. This is somewhat similar to the identification questions on the mid-term or final exams â?? you should be able to identify what is important about the books that you will be using for your paper. You should include at least two books or articles on your annotated bibliography, and at none of these should not be readings assigned for discussion in class(you may use material covered in class as additional works). This assignment should also include a revised thesis statement if necessary, as you may have a clearer sense of your argument now that you have done some reading. This assignment will count 5% toward your overall paper grade.

Outline: Due Monday, March 2 2009

The outline should consist of your major points organized into the structure you are planning to use for your paper (this can, and often does, change once you start writing). Below each of your main points you should list minor points that help to support each argument. The outline does not need to be in complete sentences, but does need to be comprehensible. It should also be typed. This assignment will count 5% toward your overall paper grade.

First Draft: Due Monday, April 6, 2009

This paper is a draft and will be read as such. I will not be grading first drafts, but providing comments to help you polish your papers for the final draft. However, at this point, you should have a paper that you think is close to being done, so that I can help you with some final pointers. I will not be correcting your grammar and spelling mistakes for you. I will be addressing issues of content and overall organization. Once again, the more polished your paper is at this point, the better feedback I will be able to give you. It probably goes without saying at this point, but please turn this paper in typed and double-spaced. All first drafts should be acompanied by a First Draft Handout. This assignment will count 20% toward your overall paper grade.

Final Draft: Due Friday, May 8, 2009

This paper should be as good as you can make it after two rounds of comments and your own editing. Sloppy editing will not be excused in the final draft. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to edit what you have written. Again, the paper should be typed and double-spaced. The final draft should be 8-10 pages in length. I look forward to reading your papers. This assignment will count 65% toward your overall paper grade.A Selected Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY (where to find other books):

Anderson, Theodore & Kari Ellen Gade. "Recent Old Norse-Icelandic Studies in the German-Speaking Countries. Scandinavian Studies. 63 (1991): 66-102.

Clover, Carol J. and John Lindow, eds. Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Critical Guide. Islandica XLV. Ithaca: Cornell U. Pr., 1985. Critical essays on recent Old Norse-Icelandic Studies.

BONIS (Bibliography of Old Norse-Icelandic Studies)

BOOKS:

Andersson, T. M. The Problem of Icelandic Saga Origins: A Historical Survey. New Haven: Yale U. Press, 1964.

-----. The Icelandic Family Saga: An Analytical Reading. Cambridge: Harvard U. Pr., 1967. This includes a plot analysis of most of the Family Sagas.

Clover, Carol. The Medieval Saga. Ithaca: Cornell U. Pr., 1982. This book considers both saga narrative and the phenomenon of the sagas in the context of medieval European writing.

Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Gods and Myths of Norther Europe., Penguin books.

Davidson, H. R. Ellis. Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions. Syracuse UP.

Dronke, Ursula. The Poetic Edda: Volume I Heroic Poems. Clarendon P, 1983.

Dronke, Ursula. The Poetic Edda: Volume II Mythological Poems. Clarendon P, 1997.

Hallberg, Peter. The Icelandic Saga. Paul Schach, trans. Lincoln: U. of Nebraska Pr, 1962. A general handbook about the sagas.

Haugen, Einar Scandinavian Language Structures: A comparative historical survey. University of MInnesota Press. A general book on Scandinavian Langauges

Jochens, Jenny. Old Norse Images of Women. Philadelphis: U. of Pennsylvania Pr., 1996.

-----. Women in Old Norse Society. Ithaca: Cornell U. Pr., 1995.

Lord, Albert B. Singer of Tales. Harvard UP.

Lönnroth, Lars. Njáls Saga: A Critical Introduction. Berkeley: U. of California Pr., 1976. Contains important observations pertinent to all the Family Sagas.

Sørensen, Preben Meulengracht. Saga og samfund. Copenhagen: Berlinske, 1977. An analysis of the social world view reflected in the Icelandic sagas.

Steblin-Kamenskij, M. I. The Saga Mind. Trans. Kenneth Ober. Odense: Odense U. Pr, 1973. A controverial attempt to penetrate the mind set of the saga writers.

Stone, Merlin. When God Was a Woman. Harvest Books.

ESSAY COLLECTIONS:

Andersson, Theodore, ed. Scandinavian Studies: Norse Values and Society, 60 (1988). A special issue of the journal, Scandinavian Studies.

Old Norse Literature and Mythology: A Collection of Essays. New York, NY: Routledge, 2000.

Pálsson, Gísli, ed. From Sagas to Society: Comparative Approaches to Early Iceland. Enfield Lock, UK: Hisarlik Pr., 1992.

Scandinavian Studies: Early Law and Society, 58 (1986). A special issue of the journal, Scandinavian Studies.

Samson, Ross, ed. Social Approaches to Viking Studies. Glasgow: Cruithne Pr., 1991.

Tucker, John, ed. Sagas of the Icelanders. New York: Garland, 1989.

ARTICLES ON SPECIAL TOPICS:

Structure and Genre:

Amory, Frederic. "Saga Style in Some King's Sagas & Early Icelandic Latin Narrative." Acta Philologica Scandinavica, 32 (1978): 67-86.

Clover, Carol. "Scene in Saga Composition." Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 89 (1974): 57-83.

Conroy, Patricia. "Laxdoela saga and Eiríks saga rauda: Narrative Structure." Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 95 (1980): 116-25.

Conroy, Patricia and T.C.S. Langen. "Laxdoela saga: Theme and Structure." Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 103 (1988): 118-41.

Hallberg, Peter. Some Aspects of the Fornaldarsögur as a Corpus." Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 97 (1982): 1-35.

Harris, Joseph. "Genre in Saga Literature: A Squib." Scandinavian Studies, 47 (1975): 427-36.

-----. "Genre and Narrative Structure in Some Islendinga pættir." Scandinavian Studies, 44 (1972): 1-27.

Olason, Vésteinn, "The marvellous North and authorial presence in the Icelandic fornaldarsaga.." Contexts of Pre-Novel Narrative: The European Tradition. Ed. Roy Eriksen. New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 1994. 101-134.

Righter-Gould. "The Fornaldar sögur Nordurlanda: A Structural Analysis." Scandinavian Studies, 52 (1980): 423-41.

Williams, Henrik. "The Origins of the Runes" in Amsterdamer Beiträge zur �lern Germanistik, (45), 1996. p. 211-218.

Gender:

Clark, Susan. "'Cold are the Counsels of Women': The Revengeful Woman in Icelandic Family Sagas." Women as Protagonists and Poets in the German Middle Ages. Ed. Albrecht Classen. Güppingen: Kümmerle Verlag, 1991.

Clover, Carol. "The Politics of Scarcity: Notes on the Sex Ratio in Early Scandinavia." Scandinavian Studies, 60 (1988): 147-88.

-----. "Hildegunnr's Lament." Structure and Meaning in Old Norse Literature. Ed. John Lindow et al. Odense, 1986, 141-83.

Gade, Kari Ellen. Homosexuality and Rape of Males in Old Norse Law and Literature. Scandinavian Studies, 58 (1986): 124-41.

Jochens, Jenny. "From Libel to Lament: Male Manifestations of Love in Old Norse." From Sagas to Society: Comparative Approaches to Early Iceland. Ed. Pálsson, Gísli. Enfield Lock, UK: Hisarlik Pr., 1992.

Karras, Ruth Mazo. "Concubinage and Slavery in the Viking Age." Scandinavian Studies, 62 (1990): 141-62.

Kress, Helga. "The Apocalypse of Culture: Völuspa and the Myth of the Sources/Sorceress in Old Icelandic Literature." Poetry in the Scandinavian Middle Ages. The Seventh International Saga Conference. Spoleto: Presso la sede del Centro Tudi, 1990, 179-302.

Mundal, Else. "Women and Old Norse Narrative." Contexts of Pre-Novel Narrative: The European Tradition. Ed. Rjoy Eriksen. New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 1994. 101-134.

Salisbury, Joyce, ed. Sex in the Midle Ages. New York: Garland pr., 1991.

The Supernatural:

Blaney, Benjamin. "The Berserk Suitor: The Literary Application of a Stereotyped Theme." Scandinavian Studies, 54 (1982): 279-94.

Davidson, Hilda R. Ellis. "Shape-Changing in Old Norse Sagas." Animals in Folklore. Ed. Joshua R. Porter and William M. S. Russell. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1978, 126-42.

Grimstad, Kaaren. "The Giant as a Heroic Model: The Case of Egill and Starkadr." Scandinavian Studies, 48 (1976): 284-98.

Hume, Kathryn. "From Saga to Romance: The Use of Monsters in Old Norse Literature." Studies in Philology, 77 (1980): 1-25.

Jochens, Jenny. "Old Norse Magic and Gender." Scandinavian Studies, 63 (1991): 305-17.

Miller, William Ian. "Dreams, Prophecy and Sorcery: Blaming the Secret Offender in Medieval Iceland." Scandinavian Studies, 58 (1986): 101-23.

Motz, Lotte. "The Divided Image: A Study of the Giantesses and Female Trolls in Norse Myth and Literature." The Mankind Quarterly, 27 (1987): 463-78.

Puhvel, Martin. "The Mighty She-Trolls of Icelandic Saga and Folktale." Folklore, 98 (1987): 175-79.

Sayers, William. "Sexual Identity, Cultural Integrity, Verbal and Other Magic in Episodes from Laxdøela saga and Kormáks saga.." Arkiv for Nordisk Filologi. 107(1992): 131-155.

Steblin-Kamenskij, M.I. "Valkyries and Heroes." Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 97 (1982): 81-93.

Hero as Poet:

de Looze, Laurence. "Poet, Poem and Poetic Process in Egil's Saga SkallaGrímssonar." Arkiv för nordisk filologi, 104 (1989): 123-42.

-----. "The Outlaw Poet." Arkiv för Nordisk Filologi. 106(1991):85-103.

Ross, Margaret Clunies. "The Art of Poetry and the Figure of the Poet in Egils Saga." Parergon, 22 (1978): 3-12.

Historicity:

Byock, Jesse L. "History and the Sagas: The Effect of Nationalism." From Sagas to Society: Comparative Approaches to Early Iceland. Ed. Pálsson, Gísli. Enfield Lock, UK: Hisarlik Pr., 1992.

Jesch, Judith. "History in the 'Political Sagas'". Medium-Ævum. 62 (1993):3, 210-230.

Scheps, Walter. "Historicity and Oral Narrative in Njal's saga." Scandinavian Studies. 46 (1974): 120-133.