ABSTRACT
My study of the life and death of Magnús Hj. Magnússon is carried out with the objective of demonstrating how miscellaneous sources can be applied systematically. His autobiography played a major part, while the study was primarily based on the fascinating diary kept for a quarter of a century by the subject. In addition, reference was made to various other writings by him relating to his life. Nor must we forget the official documents – which assuredly provide insight into his life, and reveal unexpected perspectives on the difficulties with which his life was plagued. All this material was intended to link together research, and demonstrate how integration of diverse sources can open up new perspectives on complex and difficult subjects, such as sexual and emotional life for example, and to highlight how the historiographical development of modern scholarship has shaped scholars’ ideas about egodocuments around the world. The discussion in the book has thus been informed by both micro and macro approaches. But it is beyond doubt that the methods of microhistory offer a most interesting approach when the research effort is concerned with the significance of specific works classified as egodocuments.
