Byzantine novel
Encyclopedia
The Byzantine novel represents a revival of the ancient Greek romance of Roman times. Works in this category were written by Byzantine Greeks
of the Eastern Roman Empire
during the 12th century.
writers of twelfth century Constantinople
reintroduced the ancient Greek romance novel, imitating its form and time but somewhat Christianizing its content. Hence the Byzantine stories are traditional in their plot structure and setting (featuring complex turns of events taking place in the ancient Mediterranean, complete with the ancient gods and beliefs) but are also medieval, clearly belonging to the era of the Crusades as they reflect customs and beliefs of that time. A break of eight centuries exists between the last surviving romance novel of late antiquity and the first of this medieval revival.
Only four of these novels exist today, just one of which is written in prose: Hysimine and Hysimines by Eusthatios Makrembolites
. Two are in the duodecasyllable metre: Rodnthe and Dosikles by Theodore Prodromos and Drosilla and Charikles by Niketas Eugenianos. And one is in "political verse
," Arístandros and Kallithéa by Constantine Manasses
, but exists only in fragments.
Of these four romances, two have been translated into English:
Later medieval romance novels from around the fourteenth century continue the tradition. These are the anonymous
available in English translation as Three Medieval Greek Romances: Velthandros and Chrysandza, Kallimachos and Chrysorroi, Livistros and Rodamni, translated by Gavin Betts, Garland Library of Medieval Literature, 98 (B), (New York & London: Garland Publishing, Inc. 1995). One of them is available in French: M Pichard, Le roman de Callimaque et de Chrysorrhoé: Texte établi et traduit, (Paris: 1956).
Still other medieval romance novels include the anonymous:
Finally there is Giovanni Boccaccio
's Teseida (in Italian).
The inspiration for these medieval prose and poem novels, the ancient Greek romance, also led to works in the Renaissance
and Elizabethan eras.
Byzantine Greeks
Byzantine Greeks or Byzantines is a conventional term used by modern historians to refer to the medieval Greek or Hellenised citizens of the Byzantine Empire, centered mainly in Constantinople, the southern Balkans, the Greek islands, Asia Minor , Cyprus and the large urban centres of the Near East...
of the Eastern Roman Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
during the 12th century.
History
Under the Comnenian dynasty, ByzantineByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
writers of twelfth century Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
reintroduced the ancient Greek romance novel, imitating its form and time but somewhat Christianizing its content. Hence the Byzantine stories are traditional in their plot structure and setting (featuring complex turns of events taking place in the ancient Mediterranean, complete with the ancient gods and beliefs) but are also medieval, clearly belonging to the era of the Crusades as they reflect customs and beliefs of that time. A break of eight centuries exists between the last surviving romance novel of late antiquity and the first of this medieval revival.
Only four of these novels exist today, just one of which is written in prose: Hysimine and Hysimines by Eusthatios Makrembolites
Eustathius Macrembolites
Eustathius or Eumathius , surnamed Macrembolites , a medieval revivalist of the Greek romance, flourished in the second half of the 12th century CE....
. Two are in the duodecasyllable metre: Rodnthe and Dosikles by Theodore Prodromos and Drosilla and Charikles by Niketas Eugenianos. And one is in "political verse
Political verse
Political verse , also known as Decapentasyllabic verse is a metric form in Modern Greek poetry. It is an iambic verse of fifteen syllables and has been the main meter of traditional popular and folk poetry since the Byzantine period...
," Arístandros and Kallithéa by Constantine Manasses
Constantine Manasses
Constantine Manasses was a Byzantine chronicler who flourished in the 12th century during the reign of Manuel I Komnenos . He was the author of a chronicle or historical synopsis of events from the creation of the world to the end of the reign of Nikephoros Botaneiates , sponsored by Irene...
, but exists only in fragments.
Of these four romances, two have been translated into English:
- Ismene and Ismenias, translated from the French by L.H. Le Moine, (London and Paris: 1788).http://openlibrary.org/b/OL16899576M/Ismene_and_Ismenias.
- A Byzantine Novel: Drosilla and Charikles by Niketas Eugenianos translated by Joan Burton (Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc., 2004)http://books.google.com/books?id=eK10G9zKmbgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Drosilla+and+Charikles&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false.
Later medieval romance novels from around the fourteenth century continue the tradition. These are the anonymous
- Belthandros and ChrysantzaBelthandros and ChrysantzaBelthandros and Chrysantza is a Byzantine romance written by an anonymous author. The work describes the love story between a young couple: Belthandros and Chrysantza. The original version of the work was probably composed in 13th or 14th century, while it bears traces of later remodeling that may...
- Kallimachos and Chrysorroi
- Livistros and Rodamini
available in English translation as Three Medieval Greek Romances: Velthandros and Chrysandza, Kallimachos and Chrysorroi, Livistros and Rodamni, translated by Gavin Betts, Garland Library of Medieval Literature, 98 (B), (New York & London: Garland Publishing, Inc. 1995). One of them is available in French: M Pichard, Le roman de Callimaque et de Chrysorrhoé: Texte établi et traduit, (Paris: 1956).
Still other medieval romance novels include the anonymous:
- The Tale of Achilles
- The Tale of Troy: a Byzantine Iliad
- War of Troy (the latter in twelfth century Old FrenchOld FrenchOld French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
) - Florios and Platza-Flora (in Tuscan and Old French), and
- Imberios and Margarona (in Old French).
Finally there is Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio
Giovanni Boccaccio was an Italian author and poet, a friend, student, and correspondent of Petrarch, an important Renaissance humanist and the author of a number of notable works including the Decameron, On Famous Women, and his poetry in the Italian vernacular...
's Teseida (in Italian).
The inspiration for these medieval prose and poem novels, the ancient Greek romance, also led to works in the Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
and Elizabethan eras.
See also
- Byzantine literatureByzantine literatureByzantine literature may be defined as the Greek literature of the Middle Ages, whether written in the territory of the Byzantine Empire or outside its borders...