66 pages • 2 hours read
Sigrid UndsetKristin Lavransdatter
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1920A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Book 1, Part 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Book 1, Part 2: “The Wreath”
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 1 Summary
At the convent, Kristin is welcomed by the Abbess, Groa Guttormsdatter. During a sermon, Kristin is enthralled and frightened by the story of a girl named Theodora who supposedly dishonored her parents and was sent to live in a brothel as punishment. She is “reminded of her encounter with Bentein” (104).
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 2 Summary
When leopards escape from a market in Oslo, Kristin and Ingebørg (her friend at the convent) run into the woods. The two girls meet a group of Germans, who they hope will be able to guide them back to the town. Instead, the Germans try to rob the girls. Just as the matter is becoming very serious, a knight named Erlend Nikulaussøn appears alongside two other men. The robbers are discouraged and the girls are escorted back to the town. Kristin thinks about Erlend, wondering how Fru Aashild’s nephew happened to run into her.
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 3 Summary
Kristin discovers that Erlend has asked people where to find her. She meets him at a feast being held to honor St. Margareta, where Erlend admits to her that he has been “excommunicated” (126) from the church. He does not tell her why. Later that evening, Kristin and Erlend kiss. Kristin falls asleep in Erlend’s lap as they declare their love for one another. They even talk about marriage, though the conversation eventually arrives at the hidden truth: Erlend has a mistress and he has fathered two children with another man’s wife. Despite this, Kristin promises to love Erlend and “no one else” (133).
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 4 Summary
Kristin goes to Skog to visit her uncle, allowing her an opportunity to secretly see Erlend. During their meeting, they have sex. Kristin returns to Skog each month, allowing her to see Erlend many times. Kristin feels as though she has become “Erlend’s possession” (146).
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 5 Summary
Kristin becomes concerned that she will become pregnant after having sex with Erlend. She shares her worries with Brother Edvin, who counsels her that the truth will make her parents very sad. The only honorable option is to convince Lavrans to break Kristin’s betrothal to Simon, allowing Erlend to do his duty and marry Kristin.
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 6 Summary
Kristin accepts that she must take responsibility for her sinful behavior. Simon visits her convent, accompanied by his family. A feast is held in the town and, during the celebrations, Kristin faints into Erlend’s arms. When she recovers, she is able to speak to him. This interaction displeases Simon. Later, Erlend comes up with a way to meet with Kristin. He arranges to meet her at an inn belonging to Brynhild Fluga, where a loft is rented out as a brothel. Kristin and Erlend will be able to have sex in the loft. When they meet, Erlend explains that he would like to marry Kristin but he does not want to talk to Lavrans until Kristin’s engagement to Simon is officially ended. Kristin recognizes the immoral nature of her love for Erlend, blaming herself for the situation.
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 7 Summary
Simon comes to the convent to see Kristin. He tells her that he knows about her relationship with Erlend. Kristin admits to Simon that she is in love with Erlend, prompting Simon to agree to end their engagement. Kristin, however, will need to explain what has happened to her father, so that he will know that Simon is not the one who ended the engagement, as he would never “go against a promise that [he had] made to [Lavrans]” (178).
Book 1, Part 2, Chapter 8 Summary
Kristin and Erlend meet again in the loft, though they are interrupted by Simon. The two men almost fight. Simon still considers himself to be Kristin’s dutiful protector, so he demands to escort her back to the convent. Erlend agrees to send Kristin with him. Lavrans has already been told about the end of his daughter’s engagement. He comes to collect her from the convent. However, she refuses to tell her father the identity of the man who has caused her to end her betrothal until such a time that Erlend can become officially engaged to her. Privately, Lavrans looks back on the “old gossip” concerning Kristin, Arne, and Bentein (190).
Book 1, Part 2 Analysis
Throughout her life, Kristin has an important relationship with convents. In her youth, she is sent to a convent in the hope that a year under the tutelage of the nuns will help her to avoid the sins of which she has been falsely accused. Kristin did not commit any impropriety with Arne or Bentein, and in fact she repelled Bentein’s attempted sexual assault, but in her intensely patriarchal community, the mere rumor of sexual sin is enough that a performative display of piety is required. In Kristin’s youth, the convent provides a social balm for malicious rumors, helping to publicly reassert Kristin’s innocence and reassure everyone that she is a moral young girl. This burdensome display of piety is an early example of The Cost of Honor. In Kristin’s community, notions of honor are of paramount importance, and honor is determined entirely by the opinions of others. For young women, honor is inseparable from sexual chastity, and the mere suggestion of any sexual activity outside of marriage brings dishonor not only on the young woman but on her whole family. This form of honor is so fragile and so important that Kristin must leave her community and spend two years in a convent—not for the benefit of her own soul but for the sake of appearances—to restore it. The irony of this hope is that, by sending her to the convent, Lavrans and Simon have inadvertently orchestrated the opportunity for Kristin to be led astray. The accusations against Kristin are false, but they initiate a chain of events through which she does commit a similar transgression. This first experience in the convent illustrates the need to appear innocent, even when falsely accused, while also demonstrating the destructive nature of this constant demand for the performance of public humility and morality.
In this way, the meeting between Kristin and Erlend seems like an act of fate. Between the escaped leopards and the false accusations, the reason the meeting takes place is very convoluted. To a young girl like Kristin, however, the circumstances of the meeting seem like fate. Since the circumstances are so extraordinary, and since they operate in contrast to the false accusations of impropriety, Kristin can convince herself that she is fated to be with Erlend. In turn, Erlend encourages this interpretation of the meeting. Unaware of his reputation as a dishonest man, Kristin believes him when he swears an oath to her. He assures her that this oath alone is a spiritual protection against sin, acting like a makeshift marriage vow, thus allowing them to have sex. Even if sincere, this vow has value only in terms of their private feelings—it may assuage Kristin’s sense of personal sin, but it does nothing to ward off the judgment of the community. Simon and Lavrans hoped to save Kristin’s reputation; instead, they damaged it forever.
