Professor Carl Phelpstead
BA (Sheffield), MPhil, DPhil (Oxon)
Deputy Head of School and Head of Subject
- phelpsteadc@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 4245
- 2.45, John Percival Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I teach and research Old Norse-Icelandic and Old English literature, related medieval literatures, and modern British medievalism.
In addition to articles on Old Norse-Icelandic sagas, Old English literature, hagiography, Chaucer, and modern medievalism, my publications include the following books:
- An Introduction to the Sagas of Icelanders (2020)
- Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity (2011), winner of the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies in 2012
- Holy Vikings: Saints’ Lives in the Old Icelandic Kings’ Sagas (2007)
- Old Norse Made New: Essays on the Post-Medieval Reception of Old Norse Literature and Culture (2007), co-ed. with David Clark
- ed., A History of Norway and the Passion and Miracles of the Blessed Óláfr trans. Devra Kunin (2001).
I am currently working on visions of Mercia in twentieth-century literature and culture. My other current research interests include the place of Old Norse literature in World Literature studies and exploring what Old Norse and Old English literature can contribute to ecocriticism and the environmental humanities.
I served as President of the Viking Society for Northern Research from 2018 to 2020. I am co-editor of the publications of the Viking Society and one of the editors of its journal Saga-Book. In 2020 I also became one of the editors of the Viking Collection book series, published by the University Press of Southern Denmark.
Biography
I was educated at the Universities of Sheffield and Oxford and then appointed to Cardiff University, where I have worked since 1999.
- 2012 Promoted to Professor
- 2010 Promoted to Reader
- 2007 Promoted to Senior Lecturer
- 1999 Appointed as Lecturer in Old English and Old Norse at Cardiff University
- 1999 DPhil, University of Oxford
- 1995 MPhil in English Medieval Studies 1100–1500, University of Oxford
- 1992 BA in English Language with Medieval Literature, University of Sheffield
Honours and awards
- Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies (2012)
Professional memberships
2018-2020: President of the Viking Society for Northern Research
2001-present: Council Member of the Viking Society for Northern Research
2007-2014: Committee Member of Teachers of Old English in Britain and Ireland
Member of:
- Early English Text Society
- Hagiography Society
- Norse Hagiography Network
- Teachers of Old English in Britain and Ireland
- Viking Society for Northern Research.
Committees and reviewing
2020-present: One of four editors of the Viking Collection book series, published by the University Press of Southern Denmark.
2007-present: Joint editor of publications for the Viking Society for Northern Research
2004-present: Co-Editor of the journal Saga-Book
Publications
2022
- Phelpstead, C. 2022. ‘Kringla heimsins’: Old Norse sagas, world literature and the global turn in medieval studies. Saga-Book 46, pp. 155-178.
- Phelpstead, C. 2022. Myth-making, sub-creation, and world-building. In: Lee, S. ed. A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien (2nd edition). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 67-78.
- Phelpstead, C. 2022. Geoffrey of Monmouth and J. R. R. Tolkien : myth-making and national identity in the twelfth and twentieth centuries. In: Vasconcelos, F., Botelho, I. and Malato, M. L. eds. Worlds made of Heroes: a Tribute to J. R. R. Tolkien. Porto, Portugal: Universidade do Porto Faculdade de Letras, pp. 81-104.
- Phelpstead, C. 2022. 'Better a valiant squire than a cowardly knight': Gender in Guruns strengleikr (The Lay of Gurun). In: Flood, V. and Leitch, M. G. eds. Cultural Translations in Medieval Romance., Vol. 24. Studies in Medieval Romance Cambridge: D. S. Brewer
2021
- Phelpstead, C. 2021. Canonizing kings: nordic royal hagiography as legitimation and glorification. In: Jerierski, W. et al. eds. Nordic Elites in Transformation, c. 1050–1250, Volume III: Legitimacy and Glory. Routledge, pp. 39-60.
2020
- Phelpstead, C. 2020. Eddas, sagas, and Victorians. In: Parker, J. and Wagner, C. eds. The Oxford Handbook of Victorian Medievalism. Oxford University Press, pp. 271-288.
- Phelpstead, C. 2020. An introduction to the sagas of Icelanders. New Perspectives on Medieval Literature: Authors and Traditions. University Press of Florida.
- Phelpstead, C. 2020. Companions, conflicts, and concubines: clerical masculinities in Larentius saga biskups. In: Evans, G. L. and Hancock, J. C. eds. Masculinities in Old Norse Literature. D. S. Brewer, pp. 203-216.
2019
- Phelpstead, C. 2019. Penda's Mercia: the past in the present, with photographs by Ben Phelpstead. In: Harle, M. and Machin, J. eds. Of Mud and Flame: The Penda's Fen Sourcebook. London: Strange Attractor Press, pp. 168-182.
2018
- Phelpstead, C. 2018. Beyond ecocriticism: a cosmocritical reading of Ælfwine's prayerbook. Review of English Studies 69(291), pp. 613-631. (10.1093/res/hgy037)
2017
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2017. Time. In: Jakobsson, ?. and Jakobsson, S. eds. The Routledge Research Companion to the Medieval Icelandic Sagas. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, pp. 187-197.
2014
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2014. Myth-making and sub-creation. In: Lee, S. D. ed. A Companion to J. R. R. Tolkien. Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 79-91.
- Phelpstead, C. 2014. Ecocriticism and Eyrbyggja saga. Leeds Studies in English 45, pp. 1-18.
2013
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2013. "For W. H. A.": Tolkien's poem in praise of Auden. In: Eilmann, J. and Turner, A. eds. Tolkien's Poetry. Cormarë Series No. 28 Walking Tree Press, pp. 45-58.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2013. Tolkien, David Jones, and the God Nodens. [Online]. The Lord of the Rings Plaza Website. Available at: http://www.lotrplaza.com/showthread.php?28791-Carl-Phelpstead-Tolkien-David-Jones-and-the-God-Nodens&p=525962
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2013. Skaldic saints and stories of miracles: Christianity and vernacular literary culture in Trondheim and Kirkwall. Northern Studies, pp. 80-97.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2013. Hair today, gone tomorrow: Hair loss, the tonsure, and masculinity in medieval Iceland. Scandinavian Studies 85(1), pp. 1-19. (10.1353/scd.2013.0019)
2012
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2012. Fantasy and history: The limits of plausibility in Oddr Snorrason’s Óláfs saga 'Tryggvasonar'. Saga-Book 36, pp. 27-42.
2011
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2011. Tolkien and Wales: Language, literature and identity. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
2010
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2010. Anonymous: Egils Saga. The Literary Encyclopedia
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2010. Men in Anglo-Saxon England.. The English Parish Church Through the Centuries: Daily Life & Spirituality, Art & Architecture, Literature & Music Culture and Christianity Project.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2010. Old English verse saints’ lives. The English Parish Church Through the Centuries: Daily Life & Spirituality, Art & Architecture, Literature & Music Culture and Christianity Project.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2010. "Th'ende is every tales strengthe": contextualizing Chaucerian perspectives on death and judgement. In: Phillips, H. E. ed. Chaucer and Religion. Christianity and Culture: Issues in Teaching and Research Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, pp. 97-110.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2010. Introduction to The Tale of Hogni and Hedinn (translated by William Morris and Eiríkr Magnússon). In: Arnold, M. and Finlay, A. eds. Making History: Essays on the Fornaldarsögur. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, pp. 105-118.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2010. Entries on ‘Gunnlaugr Leifsson,’ ‘Historia Norwegiae,’ and ‘Oddr Snorrason’. In: Bjork, R. E. ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 755, 802, 1221.
2009
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2009. King, martyr and virgin: Imitatio Christi in Ælfric’s Life of St Edmund. In: Bale, A. ed. St Edmund, King and Martyr: Changing Images of a Medieval Saint. Woodbridge: York Medieval Press, pp. 27-44.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2009. Adventure-time in Yngvars saga víðförla.. In: Jakobsson, A., Lassen, A. and Ney, A. eds. Fornaldarsagaerne: Myter og virkelighed. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, University of Copenhagen, pp. 331-347.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2009. Hair loss, the tonsure, and masculinity in medieval Iceland. Presented at: 14th International Saga Conference, Uppsala, Sweden, 9-15 August 2009. Institutionen för nordiska språk
2008
- Phelpstead, C. ed. 2008. A history of Norway and the passion and miracles of the Blessed Óláfr [web publication of 2001 edition with corrections and Supplementary Note]..Kunin, D. London: Viking Society for Northern Research (UCL).
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2008. “With chunks of poetry in between”: The Lord of the Rings and Saga Poetics. Tolkien Studies 5, pp. 23-38.
2007
- Clark, D. and Phelpstead, C. eds. 2007. Old Norse made new: essays on the post-medieval reception of Old Norse literature and culture. London: Viking Society for Northern Research.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2007. Size matters: Penile problems in sagas of Icelanders. Exemplaria 19(3), pp. 420-437. (10.1179/175330707X237230)
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2007. Holy vikings: Saints' lives in the old Icelandic kings' sagas. Tempe: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2007. A Viking pacifist? The life of St Magnus in saga, novel, and opera. In: Clark, D. and Phelpstead, C. L. eds. Old Norse Made New: Essays on the Post-Medieval Reception of Old Norse Literature and Culture. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, pp. 119-132.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2007. Óláfs ríma Haraldssonar. In: Faulkes, A. ed. A New Introduction to Old Norse, Part II: Reader. 4th edn.. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, pp. 307-322.
2006
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2006. "Brut" by Layamon. In: Drout, M. D. C. ed. The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York: Routledge, pp. 76-77.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2006. Christ: advent lyrics. In: Drout, M. D. C. ed. The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York: Routledge, pp. 98-99.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2006. Homecoming of Beorhtnoth. In: Drout, M. D. C. ed. The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York: Routledge, pp. 283-284.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2006. Northern courage. In: Drout, M. D. C. ed. The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York: Routledge, pp. 461-462.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2006. On translating "Beowulf". In: Drout, M. D. C. ed. The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York: Routledge, pp. 482-483.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2006. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo edited by Christopher Tolkien. In: Drout, M. D. C. ed. The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. New York: Routledge, pp. 614-615.
- Phelpstead, C. 2006. Pilgrims, missionaries and martyrs: The holy in Bede, Orkneyinga saga and Knýtlinga saga. In: Mortensen, L. B. ed. The Making of Christian Myths in the Periphery of Latin Christendom (c. 1000–1300). Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, pp. 53-81.
- Phelpstead, C. 2006. Historicizing plausibility: the anticipation of disbelief in Oddr Snorrason’s Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar. Presented at: 13th International Saga Conference, Durham, UK and York, UK, 6-12 August 2006 Presented at McKinnell, J., Ashurst, D. and Kick, D. eds.The Fantastic in Old Norse/Icelandic Literature – Sagas and the British Isles: Preprint Papers of the 13th International Saga Conference, Durham and York, 6th–12th August, 2006, Vol. 2. Durham: Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies pp. 759-768.
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2006. Discussion: interrogating genre in the Fornaldarsögur [Contribution]. Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 2, pp. 275-296. (10.1484/J.VMS.2.302026)
2005
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2005. Converting to Europe: Christian themes in Knýtlinga saga. Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 1, pp. 163-177. (10.1484/J.VMS.2.3017469)
- Phelpstead, C. 2005. Maríu saga: A miracle of the virgin Mary. In: Faulkes, A. ed. A New Introduction to Old Norse, Part II: Reader, 3rd edn.. London: Viking Society for Northern Research, pp. 173-178.
2004
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2004. Middle English lyric, 1100–1500. The Literary Encyclopedia
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2004. Auden and the Inklings: an alliterative revival. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 103(4), pp. 433-457.
- Phelpstead, C. 2004. A new edition of Biskupa sögur. Gripla 15, pp. 245-261.
2003
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2003. Anonymous: Hrólfs saga kraka [The saga of King Hrólf Kraki]. The Literary Encyclopedia
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2003. Anonymous. Njáls Saga. 1275. The Literary Encyclopedia
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2003. Music in Anglo-Saxon England. The Literary Encyclopedia
- Phelpstead, C. L. 2003. The Sexual Ideology of Hrólfs saga kraka. Scandinavian Studies 75(1), pp. 1-24.
- Phelpstead, C. 2003. Masculinity and sexuality in sagas of Scandinavian royal saints. Presented at: Scandinavian and Christian Europe in the Middle Ages. Papers of the 12th International Saga Conference, Bonn, 28th July - 2 August 2003 Presented at Simek, R. and Meurer, J. eds.Scandinavia and Christian Europe in the Middle Ages: Papers of the 12th International Saga Conference Bonn/Germany, 28th July – 2nd August 2003. Bonn: Hausdruckerei der Universität Bonn pp. 421-428.
2001
- Phelpstead, C. L. and Kunin, D. Phelpstead, C. L. ed. 2001. A history of Norway and the passion and miracles of the Blessed Óláfr.Kunin, D. Text Series Vol. 13. London: Viking Society for Northern Research (UCL).
2000
- Phelpstead, C. 2000. In honour of St Óláfr: the miracle stories in Snorri Sturluson’s Óláfs saga helga. Saga-Book of the Viking Society for Northern Research 25, pp. 292-306.
Teaching
I have taught a variety of different modules at BA and MA level, mainly on Old English or Old Norse, but also including some Middle English and later literature.
My research is focused mainly in two areas:
- medieval literature (Old Norse-Icelandic, Old English, and related medieval literatures)
- modern British medievalism (especially the influence of medieval literature on twentieth-century writers)
I have written several articles on gender and sexuality in Old Norse literature. More recently, I have been exploring ecocritical approaches to medieval literature and the place of Old Norse literature in World Literature and global medieval studies. I also have long-standing interests in medieval hagiography and the relationship between religion and literature. In the area of medievalism I have published mainly on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien, though I have also written about W. H. Auden, George Mackay Brown, Peter Maxwell Davies, David Jones, C. S. Lewis, David Rudkin, and Victorian saga translations.
My main current projects include writing a book about the early medieval kingdom of Mercia in the modern imagination and co-editing (with Tim Bourns) a collection of essays on ecocriticism and Old Norse-Icelandic literature.
I am a member of the Cardiff Environmental Cultures group: Cardiff Environmental Cultures – Cardiff ScienceHumanities
Supervision
I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:
- Old Norse-Icelandic literature
- Old English literature
- Ecocriticism and medieval literature
- Medieval hagiography
- Medievalism in the twentieth century
Past projects
I supervised the following completed PhDs:
- Co-supervisor with Dr Tyler Keevil for Samuel Sargeant, ‘Faith of their Fathers: Creativity and Authenticity from Medieval Icelandic Sagas to the Modern Novel’ (PhD in Creative Writing)
- Supervisor for Sheri Smith, ‘Answers to Prayer in Chaucer’ (AHRC-funded)
- Supervisor for Christopher Hughes, ‘Five Middle English Alliterative Poems: Their Versification, Rhetoric and Authorship’
- Co-supervisor with Dr Becky Munford for Nicole Thomas, ‘The Daughters of Modron: Evangeline Walton’s Feminist Re-visioning of the Mabinogi’ (for one year after the retirement of Nicole’s former co-supervisor, Prof. Stephen Knight)
- Supervisor for Jenni Bergman, ‘The Significant Other: A Literary History of Elves’