Here are the questions for weeks 1 - 3. Please use the comments section
to post your answers. Do not make a new blog. Do not necessarily answer
all the questions, but select those you want to answer. You may combine
more than one question into a single answer.
1. What genres do the following texts belong to?
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to site from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to site from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
Voluspa concerns Nordic gods and creation myths, and is therefore an example of the genre of mythology, eg.:
ReplyDelete-The very first line: “Hear my words, you holy gods…”
-Odin is mentioned five times in the course readings extract, and Thor twice.
-And the creation of “man’s fair dwelling” (l. 13, 14): “Then Bur’s sons lifted up the land and made Midgard.”
Volsunga Saga is, well, a saga. Interestingly, the word “saga” is Old Norse and one of its meanings is still defined as “a long story about past heroes from Norway and Iceland” (Merriam-Webster.com, n.d.).
-Here we see Sigurd, a hero, riding forth to ambush the worm: “Then Sigurd rides right over the heath; but Regin gets him gone, sore afeard.” (pg. 9/10, para. 6)
Beowulf is a heroic epic – the hero being, of course, Beowulf. As illustrated in this account of one of his many heroic feats:
“But Beowulf s prodigious gifts as a swimmer guaranteed his safety: he arrived at the shore, shouldering thirty battle-dresses, the booty he had won.” (pg. 6, para. 4)
The Hobbit is in the fantasy genre, which is defined as “A genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world.” (oxforddictionaries.com, n.d.)
“Even before the Elvenking rode forth the news had passed west right to the pinewoods of the Misty Mountains; Beorn had heard it in his wooden house, and the goblins were at council in their caves.” (pg. 33, para.1)
The Lord of the Rings is epic fantasy, or high fantasy, which is characterized by the level of detail in the world-building, and the complicated plots and epic storylines used throughout. Often a good vs. evil theme is also prevalent.
References:
"Saga." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
“Fantasy.” Oxforddictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2016
Good answer, Adrian. Please state which question you are answering, although it is obvious in the case! Thanks.
DeleteOk no worries, thank you Mike.
DeleteHi Adrian,
DeleteSome interesting points here!
Yes, I agree with you that "the Hobbit is in the fantasy genre".
Compared with the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit seems more childish and is considered as a teen fantasy-adventure novel though it involves magic and imagination. In addition, there is a small group of main characters in the Hobbit novel. However, the Lord of the Rings is more epic and it depicts a 'sword and sorcery' story in terms of heroic adventures in the secondary world. At the same time, there is a large group of main characters, including the Hobbit, the Dark Lord, kings and so on.
Hi Adrian,
DeleteVery interesting to see the timeline of content in these stories. I've noticed that even though they all had a large year span between one another, they still maintain the theme and essence of fantasy and mythology although Voluspa was more traditional in terms of abiding to the Gods and such.
Q#3 (PART1):
ReplyDeleteIn this comment, I will discuss about the similarities and differences of dragons or monsters and heroes in ‘Voluspa’, ‘Beowulf’, ‘Volsunga Saga’ and ‘The Hobbit’ as well as identify a central incident that happens in the four texts.
Turning first of all to the similarities of the dragons or monsters in the four texts, it can be seen that for centuries, dragons or monsters have protected a cavern or castle filled with gold and treasure and sometimes destroyed inhabits in order to steal or preserve gold and treasure. For example, ‘The dragon began to belch out flames and burn bright homesteads; there was a hot glow that scared everyone, for the vile sky-winger would leave nothing alive in his wake. Everywhere the havoc he wrought was in evidence. Far and near, the Geat nation bore the brunt of his brutal assaults and virulent hate. Then back to the hoard he would dart before daybreak, to hide in his den. He had swinged the land, swathed it in flame, in fire and burning, and now he felt secure in the vaults of his barrow; but his trust was unavailing.’ (As cited in ‘Beowulf’, pp.73-74). And ‘The Hobbit’ (p.234) described as well, ‘…… Every vessel in the town was filled with water, every warrior was armed, every arrow and dart was ready, and the bridge to the land was thrown down and destroyed, before the roar of Smaug’s terrible approach grew loud, and the lake rippled red as fire beneath the awful beating of his wings……leaped up and snapped and rattled on his scales and jewels,.......’. At the same time, the dragons or monsters also have been represented as different types of giants. In ‘Voluspa’, there are many kinds of monsters, such as the daughters of Loki called Hel, the world Serpent Jormungandr and the Wolf Fenrir. Hel referred to Death, the world Serpent was a sea snake and the Wolf was a monstrous wolf. In addition, Fafnir in the ‘Volsunga Saga’ was a worm and both Smaug in ‘The Hobbit’ and the giant in ‘Beowulf’ were dragons. In addition, based on the four texts, the monsters and dragons tend to become more human, mainly because they can have a conversation with human beings. A good example would be mentioned in ‘Volsunga Saga’ (p.61), ‘Then said Sigurd, “Speak, Fafnir, and say, if thou art so exceeding wise, who are the Norns who rule the lot of all mothers’ sons.” Fafnir answers, “Many there be and wide apart; for some are of the kin of the Aesir, and some are of Elfin kin, and some there are who are daughters of Dvalin.”’
Well answered, Rachel.Excellent comparison.
DeleteQ#3 (PART2):
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the superheroes in the four texts, Thor (‘Voluspa’), Beowulf (‘Beowulf’), Sigurd (‘Volsunga Saga’) and Bard (‘The Hobbit’) all tried to kill or slay dragons and monsters. ‘Voluspa’ (p.3), for instance, detailed ‘Far-famed Thor, the son of Earth, the son of Odin, goes forth to fight the Snake. Midgard’s defender dies triumphant, but the human race no longer has a home: nine steps beyond the Serpent’s body, Thor, wounded, walks in pride.’ Similarly, in the ‘Volsunga Saga’ (p.59-60) also mentioned, ‘Now crept the worm down to his place of watering, and the earth shook all about him, and he snorted forth venom on all the way before him as he went; but Sigurd neither trembled nor was adrad at the roaring of him. So whenas the worm crept over the pits, Sigurd thrust his sword under his left shoulder, so that it sank in up to the hilts; then up leapt Sigurd from the pit and drew the sword back again unto him, and therewith was his arm all bloody, up to the very shoulder. Now when that mighty worm was ware that he had his death-wound, then he lashed out head and tail, so that all things soever that were before him were broken to pieces.’ However, the four characters in each text had their individual position of the world. For example, Thor was ‘the son of Earth, the son of Odin.’ (‘Voluspa’, p.3) and Beowulf had a kingdom and ‘he ruled it well for fifty winters, grew old and wise as warden of the land……’ (‘Beowulf’, p.70). At the same time, when Fafnir asked Sigurd about his identity, ‘Sigurd answered, “Unknown to men is my kin. I am called a noble beast: neither father have I nor mother, and all alone have fared hither.” ’ (‘Volsunga Saga’, p.59) and Bard was a bowman, which ‘The Hobbit’ (p.235) described, ‘No one had dared to give battle to him for many an age; nor would they have dared now, it had not been for the grim-voiced man (Bard was his name), who ran to and fro cheering on the archers and urging the Master to order them to fight to the last arrow.’ Moreover, the identity or the position of four heroes seem to be changed from one of the gods to the lord of the kingdom and to a normal person.
As far as a central incident that happens in the four texts is concerned, it is interesting to note that whether superheroes would be died or not, they all tried to fight with and slay monsters or dragons who usually protected a cavern or castle full of gold and treasure. In order to preserve or even stole more treasure, the monsters or dragons destroyed the homeland or kingdom of the heroes, and inhabitants hurried to escape from the ruined and destroyed places, unfortunately. In the end, the dragons or monsters were killed in battle successfully, but heroes sometimes injured or even died.
By way of conclusion, from the examples and ideas above, it can be seen that dragons or monsters could be accustomed to protecting a castle or cavern filled with treasure and be killed by heroes. Furthermore, in the stories, monsters and dragons are likely to become more human and normal people tend to have more opportunities to become a famous superhero.
Reference:
Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin, pp.70-80.
Morris, W. & Magnussun, E. (Trans.). (1888). The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga). London: Walter Scott Press, pp.58-62.
Terry, P. (Trans). (1990,1996). Poems of the Elder Edda., Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
Tolkien, J.R.R. (1997;1937). The Hobbit, London: HarperCollins, pp.ix; 233-242.
excellent and detailed answser, Rachel.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike =)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVoluspa, the song of the volva possesses features of residual orality.
ReplyDeleteThe very first lines of the poem “hear my words” is suggestive of a spoken tale. It highlights the presence of a speaker who is addressing an audience in heathen ritualistic tradition thus revealing itself as an oral piece. The narrator/speaker also says “I’ll speak of the ancient lore, the oldest of all that I remember” suggesting that what she is about to say is retained in memory and calling for the audience to “hear” her whilst she “speaks.” Thus giving further evidence of an oral piece.
Another feature of primary orality as preserved in Voluspa as described by Ong (1982) is that orality is “aggregative rather than analytic” (p.36). For example in Voluspa, the volva says “sons of Heimdall” to describe men and “Midgard men’s fair dwelling” to describe the earth. According to Ong (1982) the characteristic aggregative rather than analytic is tied to the reliance on formulas to implement memory (p. 38). However, using the term ‘formula’ for both popular slogans and clichés and the formulas of oral traditional poetry leads to ambiguity. In the latter both poet and audience have some sense of the meaning which needs no further analyzation each time it is used. For instance, in Voluspa Midgard refers to the earth which needs no elaboration because it is understood through tradition. Thus the use of such formulas in oral traditional poetry cannot be so readily compared with popular slogan and clichés. According to Lord (1987) the “formulas of oral traditional poetry serves an important and necessary function in its composition and transmission that has no parallel in the slogans and clichés of popular usage” (p. 57).
In oral cultures, to solve the problem of retaining and retrieving thought, mnemonic patterns, repetitions, antithesis and alliterations were used by the speaker (Ong, 1982). Voluspa (The song of the Volva) reveals itself to have mnemonic qualities being rhythmic as a whole and structured in verse. The use of repetition is evident in the lines “the sun did not know… the stars did not know… the moon did not know” which lends itself in primary orality as suggested by Ong (1982) who states that “protracted orally based thought, even when not in formal verse, tends to be highly rhythmic, for rhythm aids recall” (p.34). Although the configuration of the words which express the thought helps in remembering it as suggested by Ong, however, it may not have been originally used for those purposes. Lord (1987) offers a critique of Ong suggesting that the repetitions and elaborations, although helped later on in retrieving thought, were rather “embellishments of ritually significant moments in a complex story.” The lines in stanza five certainly is repetitive in it nature however the context of the stanza is significant in the story as a whole because it appears before the counsel of the gods and after the creation of Midgard. It has ritual significance as it is when the world was in an unknown state, it signifies the importance of gods without whose counsel and judgement the world would not have its name.
Thus it shows that Voluspa (the song of the volva) is preserved in orality through its application of the characteristics highlighted by Ong. It is worth analyzing the terms of orality that Ong laid out as he comes from a literate culture and views oral texts through a biblical lens. The terms of orality that he lays out is deeply rooted in ethnocentric ways because for Ong, without writing, human consciousness cannot achieve its fuller potential thus orality is then destined to produce writing (Ong, 1982).
Reference:
Lord, A. B. (1987). Characteristics of orality. Oral Tradition, 2(1), 54-72. Retrieved from www.journal.oraltradition.org/articles/download/2i?article=lord
Lord, A. b. (1987). Characteristics of orality. Oral Tradition. 2(1), 54-72
Ong, W. J. (1982). Orality and Literacy; The technologizing of the word. London, England: Routledge.
Top quality answer Saajida. One of the best I have read!
DeleteThe texts analyzed in this comment will be the following: Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeleteVoluspa is an Old Norse poem from Poetic Edda (a collection of spoken Icelandic literature). The tone in the poem portrays a sorrowful mourning towards the decline of the old religion according to Sacredtexts(2016). Their intention could be for the audience to understand the traditions and myths that were once a common reality of their time thus having the Sybil reveal to Odin about the commencement of Ragnarok (a series of future events that will result in major destruction but after a rebirth of the world). This implies to the audience that the Gods are mortal, and fate cannot be changed or altered in any way or form. It can also be received in a way that change is inevitable and will not halt for anyone, not even a widely revered God such as Odin. Also, in Strophe 61, ‘There on the grass they will find again,’ implies the continuity between the old world and the new world. There is a clear distinction that once the destruction of the world has overcome its trial, it will become afresh and anew once again.
The Volsunga Saga, written in the thirteenth century, shows the origin and decline of the Volsung clan according to Timelessmyths(2016). This can be similar to Voluspa in a way that they talk a lot about death. With the Volsunga Saga, a lot of deaths occur in order to keep gain control or keep order. The intention for this could be to understand that honor, murder, revenge, family and heartbreak is universal and even occurred in those times regardless of the time era.
(continued in next post...)
(continued...)
ReplyDeleteBeowulf is one of the foremost and longest epic poems in Old English telling the story of a classic hero Beowulf and his countless, successive battles during his time according to the British Library(2016). The intention behind this poem could be similar to Macbeth in the sense of keeping form and stability within the kingdom thus killing any opposing threat to the Kings reign i.e Grendel, Grendel’s revengeful mother and a dragon guarding a treasure-hoard (occurring during Beowulf’s reign as King). Beowulf’s loyalty to Hrothgar because of his father also shows his strong character in the sense that he will do anything for the good of the kingdom and that Beowulf is the foundation for keeping everything is a stable manner.
The Hobbit tells the story of Bilbo Baggins and his adventures with Gandalf and militant dwarves who embark on a journey to recover lost treasure according to Gradsaver.com(n.d). The fantasy novel implies situations that apply to modern society such as trying new things and the act of spontaneity, as Bilbo was not a seeker of adventure yet he was willing to embark on this experience.
The Lord of The Rings is the infamous trilogy that explores the adventures of Frodo Baggins and his many peers in hopes of destroying the ring that caused much dismay throughout the series. The inner intentions and intended perceptions from this trilogy could be the importance of friendship, loyalty, and determination to complete a certain obstacle in ones life. Throughout the trilogy we see countless amounts of trials and tribulations that Frodo encounters such as the evident temptation of the ring and how much power it held but was given an abundance of help from his friends and allies who were loyal to destroying the ring for the sake of the good of the kingdom.
References:
Annotated Voluspa. (2016). Library.flawlesslogic.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016, from http://library.flawlesslogic.com/voluspa.htm
Beowulf. (2016). The British Library. Retrieved 30 March 2016, from http://www.bl.uk/collection-items/beowulf
Help, H., & sullymonster,. (2007). Provide some examples that show the idea of loyalty in Beowulf. | eNotes. eNotes. Retrieved 30 March 2016, from http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-idea-loyalty-beowulf-give-some-examples-13979
Joe, J. (2016). Völsunga Saga. Timelessmyths.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016, from http://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/volsunga.html
The Hobbit Summary. (2016). Gradesaver.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016, from http://www.gradesaver.com/the-hobbit/study-guide/summary
The Poetic Edda: Voluspo. (2016). Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 30 March 2016, from http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm