Kings' Sagas and Norwegian History ─ Problems and Perspectives

Almost the sole written record of the early kingdom of Norway are a number of different sagas of Norwegian kings, says Ghosh (medieval social and economic history, Oxford U.), but it has only been over the past two decades that scholars have explored such aspects of them as the authenticity of the information, the authors' concepts of history and truth, and the kinds of literary and other influences under which they were written. He offers a critical overview of recent research into such questions, highlights some of the more important problems posed by the source material, and suggests some pathways for further research. His topics include skaldic verse, the relationship between verse and prose, Anglo-Norman and Icelandic factors, and the uses of the past. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Shami Ghosh, a postdoctoral research fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford, received his Ph.D. (Toronto, 2009) with a dissertation on early medieval historiography; with prior publications on medieval German and Scandinavian literature, he is currently studying medieval social and economic history.