Revising Oral Theory: Formulaic Composition in Old English and Old Icelandic Verse

by Paul Acker

Overview

First published in 1998. The following monograph is a revised and updated study which developed as a result of three experiences of the author: an advanced tutorial in Old English, a Fulbright year in Iceland, and a year teaching Old Icelandic. It is intended as a contribution to the ongoing revision of oral theory.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138985421
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/27/2016
Series:	Garland Studies in Medieval Literature
Pages:	154
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Fixed and Flexible Levels In Syndetic Formulas; Chapter 2 Flexible Formulas, Systems, and Strategies in the Old English Rune Poem; Chapter 3 Flexible Formulas, Systems, Strategies, and Themes in Old Icelandic Eddic Verse; Chapter 4 A Survey of Oral-Formulaic Criticism Of Eddic Poetry;

Editorial Reviews

Addresses questions surrounding the composition of formulas, the relation of formulas to large-scale poetic strategies and motifs, and formulas as part of oral tradition, focusing on the Old English poem , on Old Norse rune poems, and on the Old Icelandic mythological and legendary poems of the Elder Edda. Employs a linguistically based stylistic criticism to investigate the use of fixed and flexible language in poetry, and attempts to negotiate a shift from an older, structuralist theory of oral-formulaic composition to a more recognizable contemporary oral theory. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

" Paul Acker has written a very useful and timely book." — Speculum

From the Publisher