Cultural Assumptions/VAB's
Sigga is romanticised by Blondal, whereas Agnes is villainised. Why? What cultural assumption does this link to?
Sigga = naive and beautiful
Agnes = intelligent
Cultural assumption = women who are intelligent cannot be trusted.
What do the ravens symbolise?
Death
What is the name of Agnes's former lover who she intended to marry?
Daniel
What is the name of Agnes's real biological father.
Jon
What method of execution is used in Iceland at this time?
Beheading
"God knows I have met enough men to know that once weaned off the breast they begin to lie through their teeth."
What cultural assumption does this imply?
Men lie and can't be trusted.
"They pick a mouse to tame a cat."
In this metaphor, who is the mouse and who is the cat? How does this characterise these characters?
Mouse = Toti
Cat = Agnes
Toti is characterised as weak-willed and naive, Agnes is characterised as a predator.
What did Agnes's mother give her when she left her? What did she promise the item would do?
A stone to talk to the birds.
Name all of the members of the Kornsa family.
Jon, Margret, Steina, Lauga.
Why is Agnes's death significant in Iceland?
She was the last woman executed in Iceland.
What religion is followed in Iceland at this time?
Christianity
“No doves come from raven's eggs.”
What aesthetic is this and what is being said?
Metaphor, Symbolism
Agnes' parents are being critiqued here as it is implied that for Agnes to be innocent, her parents would need to raise her in this way. Therefore, her lineage is being partially blamed for her actions.
What are the full names of the two men murdered?
Petur Jonsson and Natan Ketilsson.
What is Toti's full name?
Thorvadur
In what year is the novel set?
1829
"The woman's body was a terrain of abuse. Even Margret, accustomed to wounds, [...] had been shocked."
This imagery reflects what belief of the justice system?
Society believes humanity is to be preserved unless they are deemed villains. Villains do not deserve humane treatment.
Toti says, "To know what a person has done, and to know who a person is, are very different things.”
What meaning is implied by this metaphor?
How does this characterise Toti?
Meaning = people's characters are not defined by their actions.
Characterises Toti as an empathetic person, perhaps more emotionally intelligent than people realise.
Who taught Agnes the sagas and get her to recite them back?
Inga
Who is the Hunavatn District Commissioner?
Bjorn Blondal
Which country was in control of Iceland during the time of the novel's setting.
Denmark
"[Natan] was a sorcerer."
What does this tell the reader about the cultural assumptions of the time?
(Two cultural assumptions for full points)
Religion and Gender
Religion - Natan is referred to as the devil due to his name and his vast knowledge of healing despite his lack of faith.
Gender - Despite this villainisation, his intelligence is respected in town, juxtaposing the demonisation of Agnes' knowledge due to his gender (Aesthetic: Irony).
Name the aesthetic:
"I dreamt of the execution block..."
There's two!
Foreshadowing
Motif
What did Joas steal? What had Agnes planned to do with it?
Money. Agnes planned to use it to marry Daniel.
What is the name of Natan Ketilsson's brother.
Gudmundur
What is the main economic good/export of Iceland during this time?
Fishing