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I know some of you are reading ahead so post away!

I have finished this section in which Simon is the main character.

I like the way the author has used different sections to talk particularly about one character and by doing so tells the same story/time period from different perspectives.

Simon is a man with a true heart and as such is torn apart for what he sees as sinfulness.

More is revealed about the plot involving Erlend and the King of Norway, and others pledged to it. What a tangled web we weave...

I found it interesting that Simon's perspective is portrayed so extensively in this Part. At first I wondered why Undset chose Simon rather than Erlend to elevate as a character, but then I figured its a better choice to open up the story to more scenes and characters. Also, Simon is more thoughtful than Erlend and open to more psychological insights.
I was glad that Simon's son recovered as I was worried it was the start of the Plague and didn't want this volume to be just 400+ pages of painful dying.

What I found interesting was the constant religious and superstitious mix that existed at the time. Are we any different today? Do people still hedge their bets with beliefs that straddle more than one philosophy?

I'm quite a way into this section now. I was a little surprised at the change of narrator but it's actually quite pleasant, it's made me realise how tiresome I find Kristin.

The thing I don't like about it is all of the new names being thrown my way now that I have a new pack of family relationships to make sense of!

Tracey wrote: "What I found interesting was the constant religious and superstitious mix that existed at the time. Are we any different today? Do people still hedge their bets with beliefs that straddle more than..."

The church would try to stamp it out but considering how ignorant and superstitious the general population was it wasn't an easy task; to a lot of the peasantry 'God' was just another sort of demon. They knew nothing about Christianity, they couldn't read and all the bibles and masses would have been in Latin anyway.

As for 'are we any different today'? That's a question which might garner some responses which are very offensive to some readers... :-)

I suspect technology has tamped down the impact of superstition in most parts of the world. But do people still hedge their bets? I guess that assumes they are religious to start with, in which case I bet doctrines probably conflict at some level, making it difficult to support both.

I raised my eyebrows a bit at the fight scene. Apparently killing someone wasn't much of an issue back then. Just pay a fine and no worries!

Dianne wrote: "But do people still hedge their bets? I guess that assumes they are religious to start with,

If it's a case of genuinely hedging your bets then it's not religious feeling but fear or desire for something. Or so I've always thought; the most rabidly Christian YouTube Warrior might not actually know more about their religion than would fill a teacup but they do seem to believe. No room for doubt or thoughts that they might not be 100% correct.

Nicola wrote: "Tracey wrote: "What I found interesting was the constant religious and superstitious mix that existed at the time. Are we any different today? Do people still hedge their bets with beliefs that str..."

I agree and for that reason it was mostly a rhetorical question (and my own musings :)

Nicola wrote: "I raised my eyebrows a bit at the back g fight scene. Apparently killing someone wasn't much of an issue back then. Just pay a fine and no worries!"

People had a set worth and so if you killed say a nobleman you paid more than if you killed a peasant.

Dianne wrote: "I suspect technology has tamped down the impact of superstition in most parts of the world. But do people still hedge their bets? I guess that assumes they are religious to start with, in which cas..."

I think people do hedge their bets. What about all the people who buy lottery tickets every week? Life is still very insecure especially with all the international crises and violent weather etc. I believe we today still try to make ourselves secure because that is human nature. There is so little on the big scale that we can control.

For myself, having had 2 children and both were home births (with excellent midwives and a hospital nearby) I am always in awe of our ancestor sisters. To go through childbirth without the back up of real help if needed. I think I would have become a nun.

Tracey wrote: "People had a set worth and so if you killed say a nobleman you paid more than if you killed a peasant. ..."

Bah! Peasant!

Nicola wrote: "Tracey wrote: "People had a set worth and so if you killed say a nobleman you paid more than if you killed a peasant. ..."

Bah! Peasant!"

LOL. 10 a penny.

I enjoyed this section. I agree it was interesting to have a change of narrator. I think we sometimes had Simon's point of view briefly before, so his feelings came as no surprise.

There was less about religion in this section than I expected. Simon seems to be deep-rooted but not vocal in his religious beliefs. Not at all like the YouTube Warriors you mention, and all the better for that, I think :)

He does take things very seriously. He resolved the questions about the seal very well, but then still made it cause a deep rift with Erlend. I wonder what will happen there. I think they will make up, but it might take a crisis.

Rosemary wrote: There was less about religion in this section than I expected. Simon seems to be deep-rooted but not vocal in his religious beliefs. Not at all like the YouTube Warriors you mention, and all the better for that, I think :)"
That was one of the things that was annoying me about Kristin - not that she was religious but that her particular brand of religion seemed to have her wallowing in guilt for half the book and lashing out in anger for the other half. It was nice to have a break.

As an aside I do think that the women aren't portrayed all that well. They all seem to be either often hysterical, morose, deceitful, ungrateful, slatternly and/or criminally insane.

Mind you, a lot of men are also portrayed as feckless drunkards. But not all!

Nicola wrote: "Rosemary wrote: There was less about religion in this section than I expected. Simon seems to be deep-rooted but not vocal in his religious beliefs. Not at all like the YouTube Warriors you mention..."

I was curious about the messaging Undset was portraying about religion through the character of Kristin. Was she the example of what the devout should NOT be like? In the beginning I thought she would be used as an example of a troubled soul who redeemed herself, but now, not so much.

I think that's a good question for the end, Dianne. She still has time for redemption ... but I've just reached the end of the next section, and I still want to shake her. Of course, God is likely more merciful than me!