''Gunnar's Daughter'' (1909) is a short novel written by Nobel laureate

Sigrid Undset Sigrid Undset (; 20 May 1882 – 10 June 1949) was a Danish people, Danish-born Norwegian people, Norwegian novelist. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1928. Born in Den ...

(1882-1949). This was Undset's first historical novel, set at the beginning of the 11th century in Norway and Iceland. The novel follows the tragic romance between the proud Vigdis Gunnarsdatter and the Icelandic Viga-Ljot. The major themes are rape, revenge, social codes, marriage, and children bearing the consequences of their parents' actions. The story is written using the motifs and laconic prose of the

Icelandic sagas The sagas of Icelanders (, ), also known as family sagas, are a subgenre, or text group, of Icelandic sagas. They are prose narratives primarily based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in the ninth, tenth, and early elev ...

Characters in ''Gunnar's Daughter''

* Vigdis Gunnarsdatter, the protagonist, raped by Ljot * Ljot Gissursson, the antagonist, suitor of Vigdis * Ulvar Vigdisson, son of Vigdis and Ljot * Leikny Lytingsdatter, Ljot's wife in Iceland * Kaare of Grefsin, friend and suitor of Vigdis * Veterlide Glumsson, uncle and companion of Ljot * Gunnar of Vadin, father of Vigdis * Aesa Haraldsdatter, past mistress of Gunnar and friend of Vigdis * Eyolv Arneson, killer of Gunnar, avenged by Vigdis * Koll Arneson, Eyolv's brother * Illuge, suitor of Vigdis

References

Availability

''Gunnar's Daughter'' is available in paperback. (New York:

Penguin Classics Penguin Classics is an imprint (trade name), imprint of Penguin Books under which classic works of literature are published in English language, English, Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese, and Korean language, Korean amon ...

, 1998, ). 1909 Norwegian novels Historical novels Novels about rape 20th-century Norwegian novels Novels by Sigrid Undset Novels set in Iceland Novels set in Norway Novels set in the 11th century {{1900s-hist-novel-stub