Incite, seduce, martyr: female verbal power in the texts of AM 226 fol

Thesis

This thesis analyses the female voice and its ability to influence men within the collection of translated Old Norse texts in the manuscript AM 226 fol. Using translation and speech act theory, I compare the portrayals of female verbal power within Stjórn, Rómverja saga, Alexanders saga, and Gyðinga saga against the source material, revealing a specific interest in, and condemnation of, women’s verbal influence. Taking a manuscript rather than a text or genre as its focus, this thesis combines literary study with insights from New Philology.

Chapter One presents a re-evaluation of the definition of the inciter woman, informed by the study of translated texts. Demonstrating that current scholarly taxonomies of women’s words do not accurately represent the Old Norse corpus, I propose a new definition and model for the inciter woman, arguing against the necessity of vengeance.

Chapters Two through Five then use this model to consider the commands, incitements, and seductions of select female figures within AM 226 fol. Chapter Two analyses how Eve is framed as an inciter woman, bringing Original Incitement to mankind. Chapter Three examines how figures like Jezebel follow in the footsteps of their inciting protoplast, while also considering the different portrayal of royal commands. Chapter Four then examines whether seduction could be considered a type of incitement. Analysing the speech acts of Delilah and Cleopatra, this chapter instead reveals a specific Old Norse trope of the seductress that is distinct from that of the inciter woman. The final chapter turns to more positive depictions of incitement, analysing figures like the Maccabean mother, who goads her sons towards martyrdom for their faith. These moments present a quite different picture of female verbal power from the rest of the manuscript, where the male translator lingers over the destructive effects of women’s weighty words.

Authors: Bradley, NAJ

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-7jezmj50k
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: speech acts; incitement; Old Norse; power; gender; translation; new philology
• Subjects: Literature, Medieval; Feminist literary criticism; Old Norse literature