Sigrid Undset won the Nobel Prize for, in the words of the Committee, her realistic portrayal of life in medieval Sweden.If Kristin Labransdatter be realistic with precision fourteenth century Swedish culture imposed twists and sometimes inversions of themes standard to the romance novel that are strange and unfamiliar to a modern American reader.
The main characters (so far, through page 166) treat of one another not directly or as self-centered actors with free will but from an other-centered perspective. When Kristin devises a plan to see her lover Erlend,
"She wondered a little to mark that, glad as Erlend was to be with her, it seemed to rankle in his mind that she could devise such a plan."
In front of every silver lining is a dark cloud, and vice versa. It is a multi-layered variation, not linear at all, not surface level at all, the variation is a nest of nested variations.
There is the standard theme of the time of the arranged marriage. Kristin does not act with free will. She falls in love with Erlend and is deflowered by him, thus ruining her for her betrothed, Simon Darre. This theme is treated in the standard manner:
"Simon is too good to gnaw the bare branch from which another man has broken the blossom."
You see that that is other-centered also. The concern is with Simon; the concern is that "another man" has made Kristin unworthy of Simon.
Today we treat rape and consensual sex as matters of black and white. In all circumstances sex without explicit written or stated consent is rape. Undset treats the free will-sex theme in multiple variations. After Kristin's arranged betrothal to Simon she has a secret sexless meeting with her girlhood crush, Arne. Kristin and Arne part and Kristin walks home alone. On the way however she is accosted by another man who, like a voyeur, witnessed she and Arne sitting together. This man tries to force himself upon Kristin who (unrealistically) knocks him cold with a well-thrown rock. A surpassingly mild transgression upon the "rights" of another, here Simon, is met with the terrible consequence of attempted rape. This variation of felonious consequences for barely misdemeanors is played out to the extreme of capital punishment. The man is banished from the village. He ends up in the same reform house as did Arne. They fight and Arne is killed. Kristin of course feels guilt, Arne's mother of course blames Kristin in a bier-side denunciation.
Erlend’s deflowering of Kristin also contains a forced sex situation so subtle that the undersigned had to read it again to get it.
"Now must I go," said Kristin; and Erlend answered: "Ay..." He took her foot in his hand...As he kissed her vehemently she weakly tried to push him from her...She sank back upon the hay....
With those four ellipses the passage ends. A new passage follows a double space:
She sat upright...He raised himself suddenly upon his elbow:
"Look not so--Kristin!"
His voice sent a new, wild pang into Kristin's soul--he was not glad--he was unhappy too--! (emphasis in original)
"Kristin, Kristin! Think you I lured you out here to me in the woods meaning this--to make you mine by force--?...
? The thought never entered this reader's mind. Re-read "she weakly tried to push him from her..."
"'Twas not force, I trow--you [would have] let me go as I came, had I begged you--"
'Twas not force but 'twas a little force, no Kristin? Weakly trying to push Erlend away was "Don't. Stop." Which today if you don't you have to register as a sex offender. If she had "begged" him though: "DON'T! STOP!" But "Don't. Stop." is so close to "Don't stop" especially when "she sank back upon the hay..."
Anyway. So this being the fourteenth century we can expect a sword confrontation between Simon and Erlend except I didn't expect it and certainly not how it played out. Knock on door with hilt of sword.
"Open, Erlend Nikulausson!..."
"'Tis Simon Darre," said Kristin...
Pause. Undset writes with uncommon attention to the complex, nested feelings that real human beings have: "Kristin trembled; but yet, in this first moment, she felt a strange, sweet thrill--from deep within her something rose, scenting the combat between two men..." FOR HER would finish the thought true to the author's intent. Unpause.
There was more of cold scorn than of rage or jealousy in Simon Darre's eyes...
Inn-ter-es-ting. Didn't expect that!
...and she saw that Erlend, behind his defiant bearing, burned with shame.
Margin not: 'The loser wins and the winner loses."
It dawned upon her, how other men would think of him, who had let her come to him...and she saw 'twas as though he had had to suffer a blow in the face...
That underlined circled by me in ink in book. Read that two or three times. "Other men": reputation, okay; "who had let her come to him"..."who had let her come to him," repeated to self. Kristin sees in another, Erlend, how others will think of Erlend, and Kristin saw that Erlend felt it as a blow to Erlend's face. That some complex shit there bruh.
We then get set up again by a common trope that we expect to play out in a common way.
Set-up:
"Why have you come hither, Simon?" By Kristin.
"To fetch you home. Here you cannot be--"
"'Tis not for you, any more, to lay commands on Kristin Lavransdatter," said Erlend fiercely, "she is mine now--"
Cut, 21st century Miami.
"If I can't have you, nobody will!" Whence Jose pulls out Glock and shoots Carlos six times. Whence Maria gives tearful tell-all statement to police but then, secretly excited by the combat between men, goes back with Jose.
In 14th century Sweden:
In 14th century Sweden:
"I doubt not she is," said Simon savagely, "and a fair bridal bower have you brought her to.." "You" and "her" circled.
"But so it is that I am her betrothed still--till her father can come for her. And for so long I mean to guard with edge and point so much of her honour as can be saved--in others' eyes--" Ditto "I" "her" "in others' eyes"
Pretty cool, no? Pretty damn cool.
Erlend remains stuck in 21st century Miami:
"What need of you to guard her; I can--..." (emphasis in original) "Think you I will suffer threats from a boy like you"...laying his hand on his sword-hilt.
The following is a statement by Simon that is a distillation of other-centeredness.
"I am not such a coward as to be afraid you should deem me afraid...I will fight you, Erlend Nikulausson, you may stake your soul upon that, if, within due time, you have not made suit for Kristin to her father--"
I actually got lost there admidst coward, afraid you, me afraid, but I get the other-centeredness of itz
This is the denouement:
This is the denouement:
"Nay--do you it to set right the wrong you have done so young a maid, 'twill be better so for Kristin."-Simon. Margin: "Others."
Kristin gave a loud cry, in pain at Erlend's pain. She stamped upon the floor: Circled; "Others" in margin.
"Go, then, Simon, go--what have you to do with our affairs?"
"I told you but now," said Simon. "You must bear with me till your father has loosed you and me from each other." "Others"
"Go, go, I will follow straightway....Jesus! why do you torture me so, Simon?....you know you deem not yourself I am worth that you should trouble about me--" Kristin projecting onto Simon.
"'Tis not for your sake I do it," answered Simon. "Erlend--will you not tell her to go with me?" :o
"You must go, Kristin, Simon Darre and I will speak of this at another time--"
Kristin got up obediently...
No! No, not 21st century Miami 'tall. Clever, brilliant writing by Sigrid Undset.
