The Nibelungenlied: with The Klage

by Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

Overview

Filled with portrayals of deception, love, murder, and revenge—yet defying traditional medieval epic conventions for representing character—the Nibelungenlied is the greatest and most unique epic in Middle High German. The Klage, its consistent companion text in the manuscript tradition, continues the story, detailing the devastating aftermath of the Burgundians' bloody slaughter. William Whobrey's new volume offers both—together for the first time in English—in a prose version informed by recent scholarship that brilliantly conveys to modern readers not only the sense but also the tenor of the originals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781624666759
Publisher:	Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/2018
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	308
Sales rank:	273,420
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

William Whobrey is former lecturer in Germanic Languages and Literatures, Yale University.

Editorial Reviews

"To say that the translations of both works read well is an understatement. . . . A very significant contribution to medieval literary studies in general and an essential addendum to Nibelungenlied studies in particular. . . . Deserves—and is likely destined—to become the standard translation into English of both the Nibelungenlied and the Klage for decades to come."
—Winder McConnell, Emeritus, University of California, Davis


"Whobrey's masterful translation of this pair of thirteenth-century texts brings the entire Middle High German story to life for contemporary English-speaking audiences. His Introduction and notes guide the reader’s understanding of the texts and provide an overview of scholarly approaches to them. Scholars will be particularly grateful to Whobrey for providing manuscript variants from the three oldest manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied, allowing modern readers access to medieval interpretations of the story for the first time in English, and showcasing the dynamic nature of medieval storytelling."
—Kathryn Starkey, Stanford University


"The translation and publication of the Klage and the Nibelungenlied is indispensable for the light the shorter text sheds on the more famous work. . . . [Whobrey's] translation is extremely well done. It is fluid and precise, while not allowing the reader to forget that it is a translation. I mean this in the best sense, because it compels the reader to consider the words and phrasing, rather than getting swept up in the action. At the same time, the translation conveys all of the suspense, the critical foreshadowing and sense of dread, as well as the pathos of the narrative. . . . The editorial apparatus is also very well done, and incredibly useful. The notes on language, context, textual variations, etc. enable readers to better understand how to read a medieval text as they are reading it. I imagine that this is a great aid to discussion and a wonderful resource for student writing on the text. . . . [This book] was a pleasure to read, and a terrific find for future courses." —Mary Paddock, Yale University
 

"The introduction is . . . brief but very good. It touches on all the main aspects of the epic (e.g., the origins of the story, its form, the manuscript transmission, the history of the epic’s translation) and provides a solid background to its reading. . . . Whobrey’s translation of the Nibelungenlied and Klage is a fine achievement exactly because it provides a fresh and slightly modernized entry point into one of the most remarkable examples of medieval heroic epic, especially for younger audiences. It deserves to become a standard translation in the classroom."
—Christian Schneider, Washington University in St. Louis, in Speculum

From the Publisher