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 2025/2026, the course will be dedicated to the literary genre of hagiography (Passions of the martyrs, Lives of saints, collections of miracles), both in verse and in prose, with a focus on works influenced by the so-called 'Iconoclastic Controversy'. Particular attention will be given to the hagiographic dossier of St. Leo, bishop of Catania (BHG 981–981e).

Readings/Bibliography

• A. Kambylis, “Compendio della letteratura bizantina”, in Introduzione alla filologia greca, ed. H.G. Nesselrath; Italian ed. by S. Fornaro, Roma 2004, pp. 446-478.
• 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, ed, by I. Stadelmann-Grimm [et al.], München 2023 (Byzantinisches Archiv, 41), pp. 1-20.
• A. Acconcia Longo, “Vite passioni miracoli dei santi”, in Lo spazio letterario del Medioevo, III: Le culture circostanti, ed. M. Capaldo [et al.], 1: La cultura bizantina, ed. by G. Cavallo, Roma 2004, pp. 183-228.
• A. Acconcia Longo, "La Vita di s. Leone vescovo di Catania e gli incantesimi del mago Eliodoro", in Rivista di studi bizantini e neoellenici, n.s. 26 (1989), pp. 3-98.

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

Non-attending Students

In addition to the above program:

• M.-F. Auzépy, "L’analyse littéraire et l’historien: l’exemple des vies de saints iconoclastes", in Byzantinoslavica 53 (1992) pp. 57-67 [repr. in Ead., L’histoire des iconoclastes, Paris 2007 (Bilans de recherche, II), pp. 329-340].
• Choose one chapter from The Ashgate Research Companion of Byzantine Hagiography, I: Periods and Places, ed. by S. Efthymiadis, Farnham 2011 [The chapter must be selected from the contributions included in Part I of the volume "Genres, Varieties and Forms": M. Hinterberger, "Byzantine hagiography and its literary genres. Some critical observations"; M. Detoraki, "Greek passions of the martyrs in Byzantium"; S. Efthymiadis, "Collections of miracles (fifth-fifteenth centuries)"; A. Binggeli, "Collections of edifying stories"; S. Efthymiadis, "Greek Byzantine hagiography in verse"; Christian Høgel, "Symeon Metaphrastes and the metaphrastic movement"]

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