The Nibelungenlied
Translated by A.T. Hatto
What an odd story. This old German tale is quite the adventure, though it never quite settles on one narrative. I suppose its name is really a misnomer, for if there is a common thread woven throughout the story, it is the life and times of the beautiful Kriemhild. The story first pretends it is that of the mighty (and magical) Siegfried, but he drops out of the picture about a third of the way into the book, leaving us with the story of King Gunther of Burgundy, interspersed with the stories of Rüdiger and Dietrich. Notice that none of these are the Nibelungs, the mythical force that belonged to Siegfried and somehow morphs to become the Burgundians as they battle King Etzel (didn't I mention him?) and his Huns.
The main problem of this book, which I hope to have illustrated, is its confusion. It seems that the reader would have to read the book several times, making an outline along the way, to fully appreciate the twists and turns of the book that make it somewhat confusing. The book is secure in its morality and is always quick to blame women for all the wrongs of the world, but on other issues it wavers. The definition of honor seems tied to physical prowess and nothing else; the immoral Hagan is redeemed by his enemy after being slain by, you guessed it, a woman. Though his deeds have been anything but honorable, and include stabbing a man in the back after lying to discover his weakness, he is still honorable enough to be owed avoidance of a dishonorable death.
The base story is compelling enough, but I get lost in the details. It's very easy to get lost in the sea of names and the never-ending turns of the plot. The writing is fine and the adjectives are nice, but I have an issue with the translation, which contained far too many idioms for comfort. Every time a modern idiom is encountered, the reader is harshly jarred from the main narrative, which is often archaic. This inconsistent style of translation only adds to the confusion inherent in the book. Perhaps the appendix makes sense of the mess, but a pure read-through breeds only confusion and feelings of vast inadequacy.
Grade: C
Translated by A.T. Hatto
What an odd story. This old German tale is quite the adventure, though it never quite settles on one narrative. I suppose its name is really a misnomer, for if there is a common thread woven throughout the story, it is the life and times of the beautiful Kriemhild. The story first pretends it is that of the mighty (and magical) Siegfried, but he drops out of the picture about a third of the way into the book, leaving us with the story of King Gunther of Burgundy, interspersed with the stories of Rüdiger and Dietrich. Notice that none of these are the Nibelungs, the mythical force that belonged to Siegfried and somehow morphs to become the Burgundians as they battle King Etzel (didn't I mention him?) and his Huns.
The main problem of this book, which I hope to have illustrated, is its confusion. It seems that the reader would have to read the book several times, making an outline along the way, to fully appreciate the twists and turns of the book that make it somewhat confusing. The book is secure in its morality and is always quick to blame women for all the wrongs of the world, but on other issues it wavers. The definition of honor seems tied to physical prowess and nothing else; the immoral Hagan is redeemed by his enemy after being slain by, you guessed it, a woman. Though his deeds have been anything but honorable, and include stabbing a man in the back after lying to discover his weakness, he is still honorable enough to be owed avoidance of a dishonorable death.
The base story is compelling enough, but I get lost in the details. It's very easy to get lost in the sea of names and the never-ending turns of the plot. The writing is fine and the adjectives are nice, but I have an issue with the translation, which contained far too many idioms for comfort. Every time a modern idiom is encountered, the reader is harshly jarred from the main narrative, which is often archaic. This inconsistent style of translation only adds to the confusion inherent in the book. Perhaps the appendix makes sense of the mess, but a pure read-through breeds only confusion and feelings of vast inadequacy.
Grade: C
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