The Fates of Epic in Byzantium. Homer for a New Era
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| Citation | |
| Description | This chapter introduces the key themes and characters in Byzantine literary reconfigurations of epic. After some introductory remarks about the reception of ancient Greek epic in Byzantium, the chapter is divided into two main parts: the first is dedicated to the only Byzantine epos Digenis Akritis (twelfth century CE), the other to late Byzantine romances which contain Homeric themes, especially the Tale of Troy, and the Tale of Achilles, both from the fourteenth century. The discussion also pays close attention to the question of genre, probing the overlapping of romance and epos in these works, and revealing their mutual influences. |