Bokus
Robert L. Lively - Vikings Behaving Reasonably, Inbunden

Inbunden, Engelska, 2024

Vikings Behaving Reasonably

Nordic "Hóf" in Civic and Legal Rhetoric

Av Robert L. Lively

Del i serien Arc Impact

1962 kr

Beställningsvara. Skickas inom 7-10 vardagar. Fri frakt över 249 kr.

Beskrivning
Rather than being the lawless barbarian society that history and popular culture have painted it, medieval Scandinavian culture was complex and nuanced. This book fundamentally challenges our stereotypes of the Vikings, and interrogates the use of a “rhetoric of reasonableness” (hóf) in medieval Nordic society to give voice to this hitherto silenced tradition.Civic rhetoric relied heavily on hóf to keep community customs manageable. In small towns and villages without central bureaucracies, reasonableness became important to the peaceful functioning of civil society.Legal rhetoric was also based on hóf. If civic actions became potentially violent, then the courts needed means of redress, and a way to maintain the peace in the locality. The Scandinavian tradition of court cases appears both in the early laws and in several sagas, allowing a picture of the rhetorical stance of hóf to emerge through Nordic legal processes.
Produktinformation
  • Utgivningsdatum: 2024-09-30
  • Mått: 230 x 10 x 150 mm
  • Vikt: 370 g
  • Format: Inbunden
  • Språk: Engelska
  • Serie: Arc Impact
  • Antal sidor: 144
  • Förlag: Arc Humanities Press
  • ISBN: 9781802700633
Utforska kategorier
Mer om författaren

Robert L. Lively is a professor at Truckee Meadows Community College. He holds a PhD from Arizona State University in the History of Rhetoric. His interests include rhetoric in the Medieval North, literacy studies, and science fiction and fantasy in popular culture.

Recensioner i media

This book builds on the author’s 2020 PhD thesis and seeks to challenge entrenched stereotypes of the Vikings by exploring the concept of a “rhetoric of reasonableness” (hóf) in medieval Nordic society. In a world without centralized bureaucracies, civic discourse in towns and villages relied on hóf—a principle of moderation—to uphold workable communal norms. Reasonableness was vital to the peaceful functioning of civil society. Legal rhetoric likewise drew on this principle: when disputes threatened to escalate into violence, courts provided a structured framework for resolution, safeguarding local peace. The Scandinavian legal tradition, evident in early law codes and numerous sagas, reveals how deeply the rhetorical stance of hóf was embedded in Nordic legal culture.[...][W]hile the idea of hóf as a guiding social principle in Viking society is worth further exploration, the execution in this volume is weakened by factual inaccuracies, insufficient engagement with key scholarship, and a lack of philological rigor.

Betyg & recensioner

0 recensioner

Inga recensioner tillgängliga.