Metaphrasis in Byzantine Literature
Edited by Anne P. Alwis Edited by Martin Hinterberger Edited by Elisabeth Schiffer
Throughout the centuries Byzantium’s ambitious authors were conscious of the significance of literary registers for the reception of their texts. They deliberately made use of stylistic elements or refrained from using certain features in order to reach their target audience. There are certain groups of texts dating from various periods on which these stylistic elements can be tracked precisely by comparison of two or even more versions with their model text: such examples of rewriting can be found particularly within genres with a broader audience appeal, namely hagiography and historiography. It is in both genres that we encounter metaphrastic processes, in terms of stylistic elaboration and in terms of stylistic simplification. As well as stylistic reshaping, metaphrasis may also encompass the addition or removal of literary and/or thematic aspects. All these processes signify intent as well as authorial interpretation. Frequently, the ideological orientation of a text is refurbished through rewriting. Teasing out these strands for exploration helps to supply a potential wealth of information on the author (if known), cultural (social, religious, historical) context, and creative ability, as well as levels of education and literacy.
Throughout the centuries Byzantium’s ambitious authors were conscious of the significance of literary registers for the reception of their texts. They deliberately made use of stylistic elements or refrained from using certain features in order to reach their target audience. There are certain groups of texts dating from various periods on which these stylistic elements can be tracked precisely by comparison of two or even more versions with their model text: such examples of rewriting can be found particularly within genres with a broader audience appeal, namely hagiography and historiography. It is in both genres that we encounter metaphrastic processes, in terms of stylistic elaboration and in terms of stylistic simplification. As well as stylistic reshaping, metaphrasis may also encompass the addition or removal of literary and/or thematic aspects. All these processes signify intent as well as authorial interpretation. Frequently, the ideological orientation of a text is refurbished through rewriting. Teasing out these strands for exploration helps to supply a potential wealth of information on the author (if known), cultural (social, religious, historical) context, and creative ability, as well as levels of education and literacy.
- Edited by Anne P. Alwis
- Edited by Martin Hinterberger
- Edited by Elisabeth Schiffer
Other Titles in this Series
The Literary Legacy of Byzantium
Editions, translations and studies in honour of Joseph A. Munitiz SJ
Volume 15
L’icone dans la pensee et dans l’art
Constitutions, contestations, reinventions de la notion d'image divine en contexte chretien
Volume 10
The Byzantine Historiographical Prefaces (4th-15th Centuries)
A Study on Praxis and Culture of Writing History in Byzantium
Volume 23
Intercultural Encounters in Medieval Greece after 1204
The Evidence of Art and Material Culture
Volume 19
Ideology and Patronage in Byzantium
Dedicatory Inscriptions and Patron Images from Middle Byzantine Macedonia and Thrace
Volume 21
Epirus Revisited. New Perceptions of its History and Material Culture
From the Thematic Session 'Epirus Revisited' of the 23rd International Congress of Byzantine Studies, Belgrade, 22-27 August 2016
Volume 16
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