A Comparison of William Morris’ The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún

• Název práce v češtině: W. Morrisovo dílo The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs ve srovnání s J. R. R. Tolkienovým The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún
• Název v anglickém jazyce: A Comparison of William Morris’ The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún
• Klíčová slova: William Morris|J. R. R. Tolkien|srovnání|rozbor|staroseverská literatura|Sága o Vǫlsunzích|Starší Edda
• Klíčová slova anglicky: William Morris|J. R. R. Tolkien|comparison|analysis|Old Norse literature|Saga of the Volsungs|Elder Edda
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2015/2016
• Typ práce: diplomová práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Ústav anglofonních literatur a kultur (21-UALK)
• Vedoucí / školitel: PhDr. Jiří Starý, Ph.D.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno a potvrzeno stud. odd.
• Datum přihlášení: 23.05.2016
• Datum zadání: 23.05.2016
• Schválení administrátorem: zatím neschvalováno
• Datum potvrzení stud. oddělením: 31.05.2016
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 14.06.2018 00:00
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 17.05.2018
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 14.06.2018
• Odevzdaná/finalizovaná: odevzdaná studentem a finalizovaná
• Oponenti: Mgr. Helena Znojemská, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

In the thesis, an attempt will be made to investigate and analyse the formal and stylistic features of William Morris’ The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs and J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún (which comprises two poems: “Völsungakviða en nýja“, or “The New Lay of the Völsungs”, and “Guðrúnarkviða en nýja”, or “The New Lay of Gudrún”) in regard to the two Old Norse sources on which their works are based, i.e. the Elder Edda and the Völsunga Saga. The thesis will strive to point out notable similarities and differences between Morris’ and Tolkien’s texts in connection with the original Old Norse sources and the impact created by these contrasts and parallels. Special focus in the analysis will be laid on elements such as the use of metre and the use of various poetic devices, as well as archaization (both lexical and syntactical), in the case of either author. In addition, apart from comparing the two works of modern literature with their Old Norse models, the relation between Morris’ and Tolkien’s adaptations themselves will be explored as well. However, the aim of the analysis is not only to list specific formal and stylistic features in either text, but to observe and examine in what ways these features illustrate the authors’ attempts at reawakening Old Norse literature and conveying its “spirit”. Overall, through the analysis, the thesis will endeavour to address Morris’ and Tolkien’s works in the context of reception of Old Norse culture (especially literature) in Britain in the authors’ respective eras.
In the initial part of the thesis, the texts by Morris and Tolkien will be introduced, as well as the Old Norse texts, and an approximate outline of their individual historical placement will be provided, along with some key formal features. The main body of the thesis will consist of the analysis of Morris’ and Tolkien’s works in connection with the original sources, with a focus on formal and stylistic aspects. The analysis will be carried out by the standard approaches of philological analysis and comparative methods, and with the help of various sources on literary theory and literary history, as well as critical texts. As both Morris and Tolkien are well-known authors, there is a sufficient amount of secondary sources on both of their works, and the primary sources are also well accessible.
I have chosen this topic primarily due to my interest in (and previous study and reading of) Old Norse literature, as well as in its impact on later authors, but also due to the fact that it connects my two fields of study in the MA programme: Anglophone Literatures and Cultures and Scandinavian Studies. Lastly, my choice partly stems from a personal interest in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, as well as in William Morris’ creations connected with the Arts and Crafts movement (and in the decorative arts in general). I am interested in finding out how their respective views of Old Norse literature influenced their works, and whether Morris’ rendition of the Old Norse story left any traces of influence in Tolkien’s version.
The expected time of submission of the thesis is in the year 2017.

Seznam odborné literatury

Primary sources:
Byock, Jesse L., trans. and ed. Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1990.
Morris, William. The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs. London: Ellis & White, 1877. William Morris Archive. <http://morrisedition.lib.uiowa.edu/Images/Sigurd/1877%20London%20EllisWhite/pageflip1-50.html>. 6 May 2016.
Neckel, Gustav, and Kuhn, Hans, eds. Edda: Die Lieder des Codex Regius nebst verwandten Denkmälern I: Text. Heidelberg: Carl Winter, 1983.
Olsen, Magnus, ed. Völsunga saga ok Ragnars saga loðbrókar. Copenhagen: Samfund til udgivelse af gammel nordisk litteratur, 1908.
Larrington, Carolyne, trans. The Poetic Edda. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. Ed. Christopher Tolkien. London: HarperCollins, 2009.

Secondary sources:
Andersson, Theodore M. The Legend of Brynhild. (Islandica, 43.) Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 1980.
Ashurst, David. “William Morris and the Volsungs.” Old Norse Made New: Essays on the Post-Medieval Reception of Old Norse Literature and Culture. London: Viking Society for Northern Research. 2007: pp. 43-61.
Carpenter, Humphrey. J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1977.
Carpenter, Humphrey, and Tolkien, Christopher, eds. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1981.
Gentry, Francis G., et al., eds. The Nibelungen Tradition: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge, 2011.
Jónsson, Finnur. Den oldnorske og oldislandske litteraturs historie. Andet Bind. Copenhagen: G.E.C. Gads Forlag, 1923.
Procházka, Martin. Literary Theory: An Historical Introduction. Prague: Karolinum, 2008.
Shippey, Tom. “Writing into the Gap: Tolkien’s Reconstruction of the Legends of Sigurd and Gudrún.” Revisiting the Poetic Edda: Essays on Old Norse Heroic Legend. Eds. Paul Acker and Carolyne Larrington. New York: Routledge, 2013.
Swannell, J. N. “William Morris as an Interpreter of Old Norse.” Saga-Book of the Viking Society XV. London: Viking Society for Northern Research. 1961: pp. 365-382.
Wawn, Andrew. “The Spirit of 1892: Sagas, Saga-steads and Victorian Philology.” Saga-Book of the Viking Society XXIII. London: Viking Society for Northern Research. 1993: pp. 213-252.