Abstrakt
The paper is based on Kathryn Hume's formulation of the literary role of fantasy (Fantasy and Mimesis, 1984). Hume turns against the theories that isolate the fantastic as a separate genre or form, and argues that all literature is a product of two impulses, mimesis and fantasy, both of which are structural elements.
For studying the structural elements in the Icelandic sagas specifically, I have formulated three narrative levels: realistic, adventurous, and fantastic. The main differences between them are not based simply on their relation to objective reality, but mostly on the principles that define their narrative structure.
On the realistic level, the defining principle of the narrative structure is causality; the typical example is the saga feud with the gradually increasing violence. On the adventurous level, the defining principle of the narrative structure is a pattern based on an ideal and a reward; the main reason for the hero's quests is his wish to try his strength and gain glory, and the quests are usually not causally connected to each other, but all of them together lead to a reward.
On the fantastic level, the defining principle of the narrative structure is a distortion of balance by a supernatural intervention and a re-establishment of the balance. All of the levels may contain both mimesis and fantasy.
In this paper I focus on the question of how the classical and post-classical sagas and þættir combine the narrative levels, shift between them, and employ mimesis and fantasy within them. The purpose is to show that far from being products of a literary decline, the post-classical narratives of Icelanders can be seen as advanced - and in many ways modern - works of narrative sophistication.
The texts in focus are Svarfdæla saga, Harðar saga ok Hólmverja, Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar, Stjörnu-Odda draumr, Orms þáttr Stórólfssonar, and Bergbúa þáttr.