Module Identifier HY32820  
Module Title READING TEXTS: SAGA & SOCIETY IN MEDIEVAL ICELAND  
Academic Year 2003/2004  
Co-ordinator Dr Bjorn K U Weiler  
Semester Semester 2  
Pre-Requisite HY12120  
Mutually Exclusive HY33120 , HY33220 , HY33720 , HY33920 , HY34320 , HY34420 , HY34520  
Course delivery Seminars / Tutorials   20 Hours 10 x 2 hour seminars  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Assessment 1 SOURCE ANALYSIS (1,500 WORDS)  20%
Semester Assessment 1 PRESENTATION OUTLINE (1,500 WORDS)  20%
Semester Assessment 1 PROJECT (5,000 WORDS)  60%
Supplementary Assessment NO RESITS PERMITTED FOR STUDENTS WHO FAIL TO SUBMIT ALL WORK   

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
demonstrate familiarity with a body of historical knowledge in the field of European society in the Early and High Middle Ages

demonstrate familiarity with comparative perspectives on the history of medieval Europe

demonstrate an understanding of a range of approaches to the study of historical narratives from the Middle Ages

have further developed their ability to read, analyse and reflect critically on primary texts

have further developed their ability to construct and sustain historical arguments orally, and in writing, and to do so with reference to specific primary sources

have further developed their ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and to participate in group discussions. This will not be assessed.

Brief description

This module will explore how writers of family and other sagas in the thirteenth and fourteenth century painted an image of Iceland?s historical past. This will introduce students not only to some of the best (and most entertaining) pieces of literature surviving from the Middle Ages, but also to the ways and means by which historians can use literary methods and sources for the study of the past.

Aims

This provides an essential introduction into the way historians use literary texts for the study of the past. It furthermore highlights the difficulty of distinguishing too clearly between history and literature in a medieval context.

Content

1. Introduction
2. Narratology and Text
3. Laxdaela Saga
4. Egils Saga
5. Njals Saga
6. Gisli Surssons Saga
7. Characterisation
8. Feud & Justice
9. Honour & Status
10. Women

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Text
Translated by Robert Cook (2001) Njals Saga
Translated by Hermann Palsson and Magnus Magnusson (1969) Laxdaela Saga
Translated by Hermann Palsson and Magnus Magnusson (1973) Egils Saga
** Recommended Background
J. Byock (2001) Viking Age Iceland
J. Byock (1994) Feud in the Icelandic Saga
W.I. Miller (1990) Bloodtaking and Peacemaking. Feud, Law and Society in Saga Iceland

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6