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Paper short abstract

This presentation explores the parallels between Absalom, Absalom! and The Saga of Burnt Njál, paying particular attention to shared Gothic elements, including quasi-hauntings and curses, and the interconnections of family, violence, justice, and community.

Paper long abstract

During an ambassadorial trip to Iceland for the United States State Department in October 1955, William Faulkner was presented with a copy of Brennunjáls Saga, or The Saga of Burnt Njál. It was an appropriate gift, for this, one of the greatest of the sagas, presents a distinctly Faulknerian narrative in which a series of tragical events culminates in the burning down of a house precipitated by the violence of the titular figure’s sons. As in Faulkner’s 1936 masterpiece, Absalom, Absalom!, the saga of Njál traces the intricate workings of multigenerational doom in what can be read as proto-Southern Gothic. At the center of these narratives stand two patriarchal figures, Thomas Sutpen and Njáll Þorgeirsson, who in an array of both active and passive strategies represent, articulate, and negotiate the moral systems and necessities of their respective worlds. Njál struggles to deal with newfound Christian notions of forgiveness clashing with older Norse concepts of vendetta while Sutpen’s rapacity in following American drives for power tests the nation’s spurious ideals for social equality. The violence that ensues in both stories reaches a Gothic level of nihilism and absurdity. This presentation will explore the parallels between Absalom, Absalom! and The Saga of Burnt Njál, paying particular attention to shared Gothic elements, including quasi-hauntings and curses, and the interconnections of family, violence, justice, and community.