OVERVIEW

The course consists in a first approach to Byzantine literary Civilization in a twofold perspective: (a) continuity with ancient Greek literature (mostly preserved/transmitted via Byzantium) and (b) change.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

In the frame of the three-year degree course no. 10, this course aims at the following: (a) understanding essential development(s) of Byzantine Literature and literary genres via relevant texts to be read in Greek; (b) understanding linguistic evolution of Byzantine Greek, especially as regards diglossia; (c) interpreting/analyzing essential features of relevant texts, discerning continuity with and change from ancient Greek civilization.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

AIMS

• To remember continuity and change features of Byzantine Greek with/from Classical Greek (lexicon and style).
• To understand different meanings of the texts presented during classes (polysemy).
• To recognize different literary genres and their ‘codes’.
• To analyze the essential features of Byzantine civilization in the texts presented during classes: paideia (‘education’) & basileia (‘imperial polity’).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• To be able to put in their contexts the authors & texts presented during classes (historical period & literary genre);
• To be able to translate in English (or Italian) the Greek texts presented in class and their lexical, morphological, stylistic, rhetoric and metric features;
• To be able to recognize essential themes, especially as regards the μίμησις (‘literary imitation’) of ancient authors and, vice versa, the innovative aspects;
• To be able to follow an argumentation in an essay/article/scholarly contribution and to produce a written text in English (or Italian) accurately reporting it.

PREREQUISITES

Knowledge of ancient Greek is necessary to take the course.

TEACHING METHODS

Depending on the guidelines of the University of Genoa, classes will be in person and lessons will be broadcasted via streaming as well. Should lessons shift to an online-mode only, a password for a dedicated Microsoft Teams channel will be published here.

Lectures with the help of Power Point/pdf presentations, interactive platforms etc.; laboratory of translation via online lexica (GI, LSJ, LBG).

Attending the lessons is strongly recommended.

It is requested to subscribe on Aulaweb (www.aulaweb.unige.it) as well, in order for the students to get information, didactic material, notices, bibliography and so on.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

“Historiography, myth and genre in Byzantium”

Byzantine literature and ancient Greek literature: continuity and innovation. An approach through the texts of different authors, periods and literary genres.

Greek language throughout the Byzantine millennium: continuity and change.

Lectures in Italian by young researchers in Byzantine Studies, together with the professor.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography for students taking the course for 6 cfu

Greek texts to be read and translated during classes will be available in pdf format (limited number of selected pages).

Students who want to choose a whole English bibliography are kindly requested to contact the professor as soon as possible via email (pia.carolla@unige.it).

A. KAMBYLIS, Compendio della letteratura bizantina, in H.-G. NESSELRATH, Introduzione alla filologia greca, trad. it., Roma, Salerno Editrice, 2004, pp. 446-478.

Thomas Russell,  Byzantium and the Bosporus: A Historical Study, from the Seventh Century BC Until the Foundation of Constantinople. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.

P. Magdalino, Basileia: the Idea of Monarchy in Byzantium, 600-1200, in A. Kaldellis-N. Siniossoglou (eds.), The Cambridge Intellectual History of Byzantium, Cambridge 2017, pp. 575-598.

P. Buckley, The Alexiad of Anna Komnene: Artistic Strategy in the Making of a Myth. Cambridge 2014.

R. BROWNING, Medieval and Modern Greek, London-Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1969.

St. COLVIN, A Brief History of Ancient Greek, Chichester (UK) 2014, pp. 168-194.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

PIA CAROLLA (President)

FRANCESCA GAZZANO

LIA RAFFAELLA CRESCI (Substitute)

AGNESE FONTANA (Substitute)

ARIANNA MAGNOLO (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Monday, 2021 October 4th.

Class schedule

BYZANTINE PHILOLOGY

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Oral exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Oral exam: reading, translation and historical-literary, philological, linguistic commentary of texts presented in lectures to assess students’ knowledge and abilities to identify literary genres, the diachronic development of language and dialectical imitation/innovation in Byzantine to ancient Greek literature.

Before the oral exam, each student will send (via email) a written report on an article/essay (to be chosen among those proposed during classes) to assess student’s capacity for analysis and synthesis.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Please contact the professor for any further information in English.