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Sunday, April 2, 2017

Non-Fiction Annotation/Week 12 Prompt

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis

Neil Gaiman, most commonly known for his fiction work, takes on Norse Mythology in this new work of non-fiction. The book starts where any good story starts -- the beginning. In the case of Norse mythology it is before the beginning -- the birth of our world. Two areas exist: one of poisonous rivers and icy mist and one of fire with a void (a "yawning gap") in between. In this gap, the giants were born, including the most significant player in Norse mythology -- Odin, the all-father. Gaiman tells of Odin's sacrifice upon the Yggdrasil (The World Tree) for knowledge of runes and magic, to his creation of man (along with his two brothers), to his sacrificing one eye for wisdom. Other stories involve the mighty Thor (including how he obtains his trusty hammer, Mjollnir), Thor's wife Sif (and how Loki makes her bald), and of course, the trickster Loki. There is also a tale about how the gods get their best known treasures (Thor's hammer, etc.). Just as stories begin with the beginning, they end with the end. This book is no different as it ends with Ragnarok, the end of the world and the death of the Gods. Neil Gaiman writes in a novelistic style, and includes a nice introduction of the main characters as well as a helpful glossary in the back of the book.

** I have been using the weekly Powerpoint lecture notes to formulate my annotations. Being that there is no Powerpoint for this week, I am going to combine my normal annotation format and the one described in the prompt for Week 12. If this is a problem, please let me know and I'll do another annotation for another non-fiction book in addition to this one. :) **

Author: Neil Gaiman
Title: Norse Mythology
Publication Date: Feb. 2017
Number of Pages: 299
Geographic Setting: Technically, the setting of the book is the realm of the gods and Midgard, the realm of mankind. These are the myths of the Norse people, so the areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands.
Time Period:  No specific date is given, but according to Wikipedia (I know, I know) the myths arose as part of pre-Christian Norse Paganism.
Subject Headings: Mythology, Norse.
Myths.
Type: n/a
Series Notes: Not part of a series.

Book Summary: Neil Gaiman, most commonly known for his fiction work, takes on Norse Mythology in this new work of non-fiction. The book starts where any good story starts -- the beginning. In the case of Norse mythology it is before the beginning -- the birth of our world. Two areas exist: one of poisonous rivers and icy mist and one of fire with a void (a "yawning gap") in between. In this gap, the giants were born, including the most significant player in Norse mythology -- Odin, the all-father. Gaiman tells of Odin's sacrifice upon the Yggdrasil (The World Tree) for knowledge of runes and magic, to his creation of man (along with his two brothers), to his sacrificing one eye for wisdom. Other stories involve the mighty Thor (including how he obtains his trusty hammer, Mjollnir), Thor's wife Sif (and how Loki makes her bald), and of course, the trickster Loki. There is also a tale about how the gods get their best known treasures (Thor's hammer, etc.). Just as stories begin with the beginning, they end with the end. This book is no different as it ends with Ragnarok, the end of the world and the death of the Gods. Neil Gaiman writes in a novelistic style, and includes a nice introduction of the main characters as well as a helpful glossary in the back of the book.

Reading Elements: This book is fast-paced and definitely reads more like a novel rather than a typical non-fiction book. You will fill like you really are consorting with the gods, or at the very least, you'll feel like you're sitting around a fire listening to a gifted story teller telling you of the gods of old. The setting is not Scandinavia, but rather the realms of the gods and Midgard, the realm of man. The characters are as well-developed as they can be, given that many of the Norse legends were lost to time. The tone is light and the way the book is written, you can tell it was intended to be read aloud. Since these stories are brief and written in such a storyteller's fashion, they aren't particularly detail oriented. This, however, does not break the spell. It is just worth noting that this is not a book for a Norse mythology scholar, but rather someone who is in it for a great story. This book is a fantastic choice for someone who is interested in the subject matter (a comic book Thor fan) who may be a little nervous about reading a non-fiction book on the material. 

1-3 Annotation: Neil Gaiman, most commonly known for his fiction work, takes on Norse Mythology in this new work of non-fiction. Stories include tales of Odin, Thor and Loki, as well as of the creation of the world, and its destruction, Ragnarok. Neil Gaiman writes in a novelistic style, and includes a nice introduction of the main characters as well as a helpful glossary in the back of the book.

Similar works:

Norse mythology : a guide to the Gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs by John Lindow - This appears to be more fact than storyline, which may appeal to those looking for something more historical and factual.










Norse mythology : great stories from the Eddas - More great stories featuring your favorite characters from Norse mythology.










Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes - This branches out into the mythology of other regions.











Bonus recommendation: Neil Gaiman - American Gods - This book is entirely fiction, but written by the same author, so readers may appreciate the same writing style and tone. This is also about gods, old and new, which is similar to the subject matter.


5 comments:

  1. Hi Laura,

    What an interesting choice for an annotation. And you certainly provided a very detailed and well-thought out annotation. This book sounds like it would be a great suggestion for the fiction and non-fiction reader alike, doesn't it? I especially enjoyed your mention of feeling like you are really consorting with the Gods or listening to their stories around a fire as you read it. Knowing Gaiman it must be very atmospheric and the reader must feel they are in good hands as he is perhaps the best modern day author to cover this type of ground. That’s also a great point about this book being a perfect segue for someone who is interested in the subject matter but a bit reluctant to delve in to the non-fiction element of it all. I was actually reading quite a bit about when this book came out there was a dilemma in whether to catalog it as fiction or non-fiction. Interestingly, here in Connecticut it seems as though it is an even split between the libraries as to how it is categorized. After reading your annotation I can understand the how and why behind cataloging it as fiction as you reference a great story. This sounds great and I can certainly understand the hype around it!

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  2. Laura,

    You've done it and sucked me in with this annotation. I have always found Norse Mythology extremely interesting, and then throw in the fact that this book was written by Neil Gaiman, I am sold! I appreciate that you mentioned he writes in a "novel-like" manor, as non-fiction stories, even ones about mythology, can be boring if the author only lists off events. I also was glad to see that the book was only 299 pages as Gaiman can sometimes go a little (ok, a lot) past that.

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  3. Fantastic annotation (you don't need to write another one, this is great!)! You did a great job with your summary and appeals. I am definitely excited to read this one as well. Full points!

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  4. I have only every read The Graveyard Book by this author. this sounds like an interesting read.

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  5. I am so excited to read this. I've enjoyed everything he has written in the past, so I anticipate I will enjoy this one as well! Thanks for sharing!

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