CALL FOR PAPERS: Narrative Forms in Byzantine Literature: Theory and Practice

Sección de Filología medieval
Instituto de Filología clásica
Facultad de Filosofía y Letras

7-8 April 2022

Byzantine narrative, in one of its manifestations (for example, the Comnenian novel) was heavily influenced by rhetoric, and included sections only indirectly narrative, such as long ekphraseis; in another one (such as popular hagiography), episodes were often combined, with no apparent connection apart from being related to the same character. Different audiences required different ways of narrating. Parallel to the richness of narratives, a corpus of texts about the ways of narrating (in the wider sense, including for instance drama and purely rhetoric compositions) also circulated.

The aim of this colloquium is to foster case-studies which show what is specific in certain key Byzantine narratives; to underscore the concrete influence of texts discussing the art of narration upon narratives themselves; to try and determine the expectations of a given audience; and to underline the interaction between theory and practice of narration.

We invite 20-minute papers on any topic pertinent to narrative in Byzantium in the widest sense. Please send your abstract no later than January 31, 2022 to   tomas.fernandez@conicet.gov.ar, pablo.a.cavallero@gmail.com and reinhart.ceulemans@kuleuven.be. Abstracts should 1000 characters or less (blank spaces included, but not counting bibliographical references), and should clearly state the hypothesis, goals and (expected) conclusions of the presentation.

Papers must be sent no later than March 15, 2022.

8 pp. Palatino Linotype 11; space between lines: 1½. Margins: 2 cm.