| Abstrakt: |
In 1627 a funeral elegy was composed for the daughter of the late bishop of Hólar in Hjaltadalur, Iceland. The poem takes the form of a monologue in which the mourner addresses her savior, Jesus Christ. She expresses grief at the loss of a loved one and a yearning to join both Christ and her late relatives in Paradise. The poem was frequently copied in manuscripts of the early modern period before being printed for the first time in the late eighteenth century. I argue that the manuscript preservation and transmission of the poem not only led to scribal errors and changes of expression but also changed the work's function and context. I further suggest that in at least one instance an intentional generic transformation is discernible, which fundamentally altered the poem's original nature. As it lost touch with its origins, the work was recontextualized, developing fresh significance within the context of Iceland's postmedieval manuscript culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
