The voices of the tale: the storyteller in early Byzantine collective biographies, miracle collections, and collections of edifying tales. (April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Constantinou, Stavroula; Andreou, Andria
• Is Part Of: Byzantine and modern Greek studies. Volume 46:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 24
• Page End: 40
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Subjects: storyteller -- hagiographical tale collections -- biography -- miracle -- beneficial tale; Byzantine Empire -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; Greece -- History -- 323-1453 -- Periodicals; Greece -- Periodicals; Byzantine Empire -- Civilization -- Periodicals; 949.5005
• DOI: 10.1017/byz.2021.31
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0307-0131

Abstract

Abstract : This article is a first attempt to approach the figure of the storyteller in three types of early Byzantine tale collections (fourth–seventh centuries): collective biography, miracle collection, and collection of edifying tales. Our approach draws significantly on Walter Benjamin's discussion of the storyteller and Monica Fludernik's work on conversational storytelling. Our analysis has a twofold purpose: first, to revise the impression that the storyteller is a canonical force that possesses the same characteristics in every single tale; second, to suggest that the storyteller is an inherent feature of short hagiographical narratives.