Icelandic Literature

Paper Summary:

The paper states that in Iceland, traditionally, farm labour and fishing were the primary sources of income for many citizens. These types of labor took place in the countryside and in small fishing villages, hence drawing a specific people to live there. Whilst city dwellers tended to have more qualified jobs, the poorer families lived off of the land. The paper notes that this led to a certain stereotype of the countryside 'peasants'. The paper further comments that Icelandic literature often discusses both town and country citizens, comparing the differences in lifestyle between the two, and how each is represented. The paper analyses several Icelandic novels featuring the Icelandic people living in farmhouses compared to those living in the towns. The paper then assesses whether one group of people is seen as inferior to the other, and the differences between them, and how each group is viewed by the other, or by those outside of Iceland.

From the Paper:

" Those in the countryside were forced to lead more serious lives, and had far too many day-to-day worries concerning their survival to engage in frivolous conversations that had no real purpose or meaning to them. We can tell this immediately from how serious all of Bjartur's children are. Whilst in the cities, Bjartur describes young women as "brazen-faced young sluts...fit for nothing but parading the streets and living on their parents like parasites" , his children, with their country upbringing, are expected to work sixteen hour days."

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Sample of Sources Used:

• Bergsson, Gudbergur (1997) The Swan. Mares Nest Publishing. BookPartner: Denmark.
• Bjarnason, Bjarni (1996) The Return of the Divine Mary. Uppheimer ehf: Iceland.
• Boucher, Alan (1989) The Iceland Traveller a Hundred Years of Adventure. Iceland Review: Reykjavik.
• Helgason, Hallgrimur (1996) 101 Reykjavik. Faber and Faber Ltd.: UK.
• Jonsson, Mar (1998) "Incest in Iceland 1500-1900". <http://gateway.uvic.ca/beck/media/text/incest.html> Accessed 26/11/08.

More papers on Icelandic Literature:

• Analytical Essay # 23767 : "Icelandic Sagas"
• Comparison Essay # 6059 : "The Importance of Literature"
• Term Paper # 99927 : "J.R.R. Tolkien"

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