The Scandinavian Magic Tale and Narrative Folklore: A Study in Genres, Themes, and Sources

“. . . literary connections drawn help to underline the artistry of these works. So, for example, the tragic content of the ballads fully justifies comparisons to Shakespeare’s King Lear and Aristotle’s thoughts on tragedy.” – Prof. Susan C. Brantly and Scott A. Mellor, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“. . . highly readable and conversational while also being based on solid scholarship. . . . While acknowledging the value of the work of established scholars (most notably Bakhtin, Propp, Darnton, Dégh, and Zipes) Ingwersen also tweaks their ideas based on his own acute observations and, not least, the responses of decades of his students . . .” – Prof. Kathleen Stokker, Luther College

Foreword by Susan C. Brantly and Scott A. Mellor
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: Interpretation, Genre, and Need
2. Other Preliminaries such as The Other
3. The Enchanting, but Darkening Vision of the Magic Tale
4. The Fabliau and the Ranges of Laughter
5. The Slippery Legend that Refuses to Be Defined
6. The Bleak—and Beautiful—Vision of the Ballad
7. Conclusion: Narrative Dreams of Survival and Happiness
Appendix: “Sir Ebbe’s Daughters”
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index