Romanticizing the Germanic Epic

Degree Year

1940

Document Type

Thesis - Open Access

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Keywords

Ker, Beowulf, Volsunga, Nibelungenlied

Abstract

Ker's work was primarily descriptive, so that he was not greatly concerned with the social viewpoint; but to extend his thesis into a consideration of literary causes and growths requires investigation of racial, epochal, and individual backgrounds in accordance with Taine and with the social view. In order to approach the saga literature of the Middle Ages from such a viewpoint and to follow Ker's work in distinguishing between epic and romance, there can be no better choice for illustration of the history of medieval saga than Beowulf, the Volsunga Saga, and the Nibelungenlied. Each is of Germanic origin, and together they cover the span of the history of saga in the Middle Ages. Each is typical, in that history, of a different point of time.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS