B5052 - Byzantine Literature (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide an overall overview of Byzantine literature and of the different genres that were practiced starting from late Antiquity up to the Greek literature during the humanistic age. The student will have acquired the necessary tools for a correct analysis of Byzantine literary sources and will have possessed an adequate methodology for the historical knowledge of the ways and forms of their production and transmission, also through an anthology representative of the wide range offered by the manuscript tradition.

Course contents

The course aims to offer an introduction to the history of Byzantine literature, understood as the Greek literary production from Late Antiquity to the Humanistic period (4^th-15^th centuries). The program is structured through thematic pathways on some of the most significant literary genres of the Byzantine era, outlining their formal and content characteristics, diachronic development, major authorial personalities, and elements of continuity and discontinuity with classical and late antique models and traditions. These pathways are substantiated by reading and commenting on an anthology of passages, both in verse and prose, read in the original language and translated in class. Students will have the opportunity to gain a basic understanding of the richness and variety of Byzantine literature, appreciating its specificity and originality compared to the classical heritage, as well as the enduring significance of some expressive forms and literary and ideological themes even after the fall of the Empire.

In the academic year 2026/2027, the course will be devoted to Byzantine hymnography, that is, the rich body of poetry composed for singing within the context of the Byzantine liturgy. The course will examine the principal hymnographic forms, the kontakion and the canon, tracing their origins, development, and formal characteristics. Attention will also be paid to the earliest and minor forms of hymnography, as well as to the fundamentals of syllabic-accentual metre. The course will be complemented by the reading, translation, and commentary of a selection of poems by the genre's most important representatives, including Romanos the Melodist (6th century), Joseph the Hymnographer (9th century), and John Mauropous (11th century).

Readings/Bibliography

• P.A. Agapitos, "The Periodization of Byzantine Literature: From a Historical to a Literary Model", in Anekdota Byzantina. Studien zur byzantinischen Geschichte und Kultur. Festschrift für Albrecht Berger anlässlich seines 65. Geburtstags, hrsg. von I. Stadelmann-Grimm [et al.], Munich 2023 (Byzantinisches Archiv, 41), pp. 1-20.
• F. D'Aiuto, "L'innografia", in Lo spazio letterario del Medioevo, III: Le culture circostanti, dir. M. Capaldo [et al.], 1: La cultura bizantina, a cura di G. Cavallo, Roma 2004, pp. 257-300.
• A. Giannouli, "Byzantine Hagiography and Hymnography: An Interrelationship", in The Ashgate Research Companion to Byzantine Hagiography, II: Genres and Contexts, ed. by S. Efthymiadis, Farnham, 2014, pp. 285-312.
• E. Follieri, "I libri liturgici della Chiesa bizantina", in Storia religiosa della Grecia, a cura di L. Vaccaro, Olgiate Olona (VA) 2002 (Europa ricerche, 8), pp. 83-100.

Sources in Greek or in translation will be provided during the course.

Non-attending Students

In addition to the above program:

• A. Kambylis, "Compendio della letteratura bizantina", in Introduzione alla filologia greca, dir. H.G. Nesselrath; ed. it. a cura di S. Fornaro, Roma 2004, pp. 446-478.

Non-attending students are requested to contact the professor well in advance before starting exam preparation to receive the list and texts of the sources read and commented on during the course, which are also an integral part of the final examination.

Students with SLD or Temporary or Permanent Disabilities

It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Teaching methods

The method adopted will be frontal lectures; students will be actively involved during the lessons in reading and commenting on the examined texts.

Assessment methods

Oral examination. The oral exam will assess the student’s ability to historically and culturally contextualize the studied works, demonstrating a solid understanding of the main authors, genres, and themes covered during the course. Competencies in translation, critical analysis, and text interpretation will be examined, with particular attention to the use of philological methodologies and literary criticism.

Students with SLD or Temporary or Permanent Disabilities

It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives

Exam sessions are scheduled for the following months of the academic year:

1st session: January

2nd session: February

3rd session: March

4th session: April

5th session: May

6th session: June

7th session: September

8th session: October

Teaching tools

During the course, reproductions of manuscripts, specimens of critical editions, and modern language translations of the examined texts will be provided in paper or digital format. Bibliographic material and teaching support will be downloadable from the course page on the platform https://virtuale.unibo.it/.

Office hours

See the website of Luigi D'Amelia