Discussing Kristin Lavransdatter

Few things are as fun as discussing good Catholic literature with good, well-read friends! Well, I am fortunate to have done just that for two evenings in a row!

Re-reading Kristin Lavransdatter yet again was a joy. Amazing how many things we discover at each re-reading of this Nobel prize-winning novel. On recapping the Monday evening meeting I wrote on our Homeschool email list:

Last night was fantastic.

Nancy had a house full of about a dozen beautiful and intelligent women and we talked about... just about everything under the sun. We talked about the book's protagonist Kristin and how we each identify differently with her, we talked about historical fiction that is well done and about author Undset--what she went through in her life.

We talked about sin, penance and the traditions of the Catholic Church. We talked about Scandinavian culture, and Scandinavian peoples who came to this country.

We talked about our children, homeschooling and Co-op, and problems with the school system, of course. We read passages of the book and we compared translations!

And more!

Plus, we had delightful refreshments-- Sarah loved the Raspberry Jalapeño Dip while I thought the pound cakes were divine. There was wine (empty bottle at the end of the evening), and fruit, and... oh well-- what a night.

So, we need to finish the third book and close the discussion! As usual, come even if you haven't read the, and bring refreshments! Since we will be watching the film, here's a chance to get into the story if you haven't had the time to read.

Then last night I went over to country neighbor and author Mary Daly's house, books in arm, and we tackled it again! Mary has posted some discussion points on her website and we read some passages out loud about some of the relationship entanglements in the novel. Also, Mary talked about the significance of the many wreaths throughout the novel. Most symbolic, I thought, is the scene in the opening chapters of the first volume, The Wreath, when she is given a gold wreath by the elf-maiden. Instead of accepting it she crowns herself with a red-flowered wreath she had made herself. Now, isn't that scene telling the readers so much about the story early on... doesn't Kristin later on does exactly that? She will choose for herself , against her cultural traditions, a crown of self-will and suffering, instead of the golden bridal wreath...

It is indeed rewarding to read authors who put so much to be discovered and discussed in a novel!e-reading Kristin Lavransdatter yet again was a joy. Amazing how many things we discover at each re-reading of this Nobel prize-winning novel.

Note: looking on the internet, I found a site that describes a tour of Kristin's sites in Norway...

Leave your hotel in the morning and continue through Gudbrandsdalen to the small community of Sel, the setting for the main work of Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset, author of the Kristin Lavransdatter novels. The trilogy, translated into more than 70 languages, is the most read novel of the 20th century. See the lifelike statue of Kristin Lavransdatter, then proceed to the newly-reconstructed medieval farm, Jørundgard, at Nord Sel. A guided tour will be arranged to learn more about the life of Kristin Lavransdatter.