Men and Masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:24th Jan '19
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This volume is the first book-length study of masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders. Spanning the entire corpus of the Sagas of Icelanders—and taking into account a number of little-studied sagas as well as the more well-known works—it comprehensively interrogates the construction, operation, and problematization of masculinities in this genre. Men and Masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders elucidates the dominant model of masculinity that operates in the sagas, demonstrates how masculinities and masculine characters function within these texts, and investigates the means by which the sagas, and saga characters, may subvert masculine dominance. Combining close literary analysis with insights drawn from sociological theories of hegemonic and subordinated masculinities, notions of homosociality and performative gender, and psychoanalytic frameworks, the book brings to men and masculinities in saga literature the same scrutiny traditionally brought to the study of women and femininities. Ultimately, the volume demonstrates that masculinity is not simply glorified in the sagas, but is represented as being both inherently fragile and a burden to all characters, masculine and non-masculine alike.
This book provides a thorough yet accessible study of the topic for both academics and the general public alike, and is itself a strong argument for making academic publications more accessible for general audiences. As the first book-length study of masculinities in the sagas of Icelanders (to the knowledge of the present reviewer) it is a much-needed contribution to the study of Old Norse literature, and one which will undoubtedly provide a significant framework for the study of Old Norse masculinities. * B.O.B. van Strijen, Ceræ: An Australasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies *
Men and Masculinities in the Sagas of Icelanders is an important contribution to Old Norse literary studies and to the study of gender, men, and masculinities in the Middle Ages more broadly. It also provides an excellent example of how intersectionality can and should be adopted by scholars investigating medieval Icelandic culture and society. [...] Evans's book makes a thoroughly convincing case for adopting the concept of "hegemonic masculinity" to better understand how masculinities operate within the Íslendingasögur. * Christopher Crocker, Speculum *
a careful and nuanced study worthy of [its] ground-breaking status * Ármann Jakobsson, Saga-Book *
Evans is a bright new voice in Old Norse-Icelandic studies, where long-form nuanced and theorized literary analysis is sorely needed ... this monograph should inspire future generations of Old Norse scholars to capitalize on Evans' interventions, and anyone working in the area of medieval gender would also be advised to pay attention to his work. * David Clark, Associate Professor, University of Leicester *
Evans writes very well indeed, and that clarity of style makes his monograph read like brilliantly delivered lectures that take the audience from sharply imagined probes of many important sagas of the Icelanders through reviews of pathbreaking studies of masculinity and gender in Old Norse literature. * Sarah M. Anderson, The Medieval Review *
a significant and important step in the research of masculinities in the sagas and Old Norse gender and society in general * Yoav Tirosh, Kyngervi *
ISBN: 9780198831242
Dimensions: 224mm x 148mm x 18mm
Weight: 366g
188 pages