Authenticating Voices? Diegesis and Stanza Quotation in the Íslendingasögur

Abstract

Stanzas in saga prosimetrum are often differentiated as authenticating stanzas, quoted by the narrative voice to evidence the prose account, and situational stanzas, spoken by characters as part of the plot. Yet in implying that only some types of stanza quotation authenticate events, the dichotomy conflates two questions: the narrative function of the stanza, and who speaks it in the text. I propose a new model based on diegetic level, which more accurately describes how sagas quote stanzas. I then analyse other functions of extradiegetic quotation in the Íslendingasögur, show­ing how it is used to control poetic voices, preserve narrative momentum, and construct complex forms of metalepsis.