ILCR – Events
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Bill Miller (Michigan) Reading group on “Audun (and the polar bear)” (i)
November 8, 2024 @ 16:00 - 17:00
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Reading Group on “Audun (and the Polar Bear)” (i)
Time: 4pm
Location: Room 9 (next to the Old Seminar Room), Mediaeval History Building
Described as one of the finest short stories in world literature, Audun’s Story follows Audun, an Icelandic farmhand, on his perilous quest. Through terse prose and skilful storytelling, it brings to life characters like Audun, Harald Hardradi and King Svein, revealing layers of social and legal nuance. Professor Miller’s analysis places this tale alongside classical works on gift-exchange and social interaction, making it of interest to legal and cultural historians, anthropologists, economists, and literary scholars alike.
As pre-reading, you can read pages 1-21 of Bill Miller’s book Audun and the Polar Bear: Luck, Law, and Largesse in a Medieval Tale of Risky Business. a hardcopy as well as the eBook is accessible via the University of St Andrews Library.
All are welcome!
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Bill Miller’s expertise in saga Iceland and his extensive research on emotions, virtues, and vices make him an exceptional guide for our exploration of Audun’s Saga. His notable works, including ‘Humiliation’, ‘The Anatomy of Disgust’, ‘The Mystery of Courage’, and ‘Outrageous Fortune: Gloomy Reflections on Luck and Life’, showcase his profound understanding of human nature and legal frameworks. Bill Miller has also been a visiting professor at Yale, the University of Chicago, and Harvard, bringing a wealth of knowledge and insight to our reading group discussions. He is a regular visitor to St Andrews and an Honorary Professor in the ILCR (see Kimberley-Joy Knight and John Hudson, ‘Miller(ed) in St Andrews’, in Emotion, Violence, Vengeance and Law in the Middle Ages, also available as an E-book in the University Library).