The Nibelungenlied: With the Klage

Description

Filled with portrayals of deception, love, murder, and revenge-yet defying traditional medieval epic conventions for representing character-the Nibelungenlied is the greatest and most unique epic in Middle High German. The Klage, its consistent companion text in the manuscript tradition, continues the story, detailing the devastating aftermath of the Burgundians' bloody slaughter. William Whobrey's new volume offers both-together for the first time in English-in a prose version informed by recent scholarship that brilliantly conveys to modern readers not only the sense but also the tenor of the originals. "To say that the translations of both works read well is an understatement. . . . A very significant contribution to medieval literary studies in general and an essential addendum to Nibelungenlied studies in particular. . . . Deserves-and is likely destined-to become the standard translation into English of both the Nibelungenlied and the Klage for decades to come." -Winder McConnell, Emeritus, University of California, Davis

William Whobrey is former lecturer in Germanic Languages and Literatures, Yale University.

"To say that the translations of both works read well is an understatement. . . . A very significant contribution to medieval literary studies in general and an essential addendum to Nibelungenlied studies in particular. . . . Deservesand is likely destinedto become the standard translation into English of both the Nibelungenlied and the Klage for decades to come ." Winder McConnell, Emeritus, University of California, Davis " Whobrey's masterful translation of this pair of thirteenth-century texts brings the entire Middle High German story to life for contemporary English-speaking audiences . His Introduction and notes guide the reader's understanding of the texts and provide an overview of scholarly approaches to them. Scholars will be particularly grateful to Whobrey for providing manuscript variants from the three oldest manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied , allowing modern readers access to medieval interpretations of the story for the first time in English, and showcasing the dynamic nature of medieval storytelling." Kathryn Starkey, Stanford University "The translation and publication of the Klage and the Nibelungenlied is indispensable for the light the shorter text sheds on the more famous work. . . . [Whobrey's] translation is extremely well done. It is fluid and precise, while not allowing the reader to forget that it is a translation. I mean this in the best sense, because it compels the reader to consider the words and phrasing, rather than getting swept up in the action. At the same time, the translation conveys all of the suspense, the critical foreshadowing and sense of dread, as well as the pathos of the narrative. . . . The editorial apparatus is also very well done, and incredibly useful. The notes on language, context, textual variations, etc. enable readers to better understand how to read a medieval text as they are reading it. I imagine that this is a great aid to discussion and a wonderful resource for student writing on the text. . . . [This book] was a pleasure to read, and a terrific find for future courses." Mary Paddock, Yale University "The introduction is . . . brief but very good. It touches on all the main aspects of the epic (e.g., the origins of the story, its form, the manuscript transmission, the history of the epic's translation) and provides a solid background to its reading. . . . Whobrey's translation of the Nibelungenlied and Klage is a fine achievement exactly because it provides a fresh and slightly modernized entry point into one of the most remarkable examples of medieval heroic epic, especially for younger audiences. It deserves to become a standard translation in the classroom." Christian Schneider, Washington University in St. Louis, in Speculum "This work is a welcome addition to Nibelungenlied studies. . . . The second part of this edition contains the first-ever in English translation of The Klage , a poem that takes the task of completing the tale of Nibelungenlied , the latter ending abruptly and without telling the audience what has happened to the characters. The Klage is rarely included in editions or translations of the Nibelungenlied , deemed by many as of less literary value. . . . The Klage , however, is included with the Nibelungenlied in most of the major manuscripts indicating that for the medieval audience, the poem was of interest and a necessary part of Nibelungenlied . In my view, modern audiences lose something by not reading these texts together. "Whobrey offers a very useful introduction that informs the reader on historical and literary backgrounds for the poem but also includes information on genre, meter, form and related matters. . . . The explanatory notes are very useful; and Whobrey offers translations of variants in the manuscript tradition giving readers insight into the transmission history of the text. In addition, Whobrey provides indices of personal and place names as well as an inventory of the manuscripts and versions, and a brief bibliography of key scholarship. This is a very readable translation of a vitally important medieval text with valuable helps and information for student and scholar alike ." Larry J. Swain, University of Illinois-Chicago , in Mythlore