Dissertation committee:
Κωνσταντίνος Παΐδας, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Θεοδώρα Αντωνοπούλου, Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Διονύσιος Καλαμάκης, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Ταξιάρχης Κόλιας, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Δημήτριος Αγγελάτος, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Αθανάσιος Αγγέλου, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, ΠΙ
Δημοσθένης Στρατηγόπουλος, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιστορίας και Εθνολογίας, ΔΠΘ
Summary:
The narrations of the Byzantine-Turkish History of Doukas, the Chronicle of Sphrantzes, the Histories of Critobulus and the Proofs of Histories of Chalkokondyles, are examined in the framework of the present dissertation. The aim of this dissertation is the implementation of the narratological analysis’ model of the French narratologist Gérard Genette, in the narrations of the Byzantine historians, in order to ascertain if the modern narrative theory can help us to approach from a different prism the Byzantine historiographical sources, to understand them better and to reevaluate them in terms of their literary character. Furthermore, it should be mentioned that other theoretical approaches regarding the narrative theory were taken into account (Greimas, Stanzel etc.). It is also the first time that a complete narratological approach in Byzantine historiographical sources of the late Byzantine period is accomplished.
Concerning the structure of the present dissertation, it consists of the following chapters: an introductory section, which includes the relationship that exists between Byzantine literature and narratology, the biographical elements and the works of the Byzantine historians of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the historical framework of this period and one timeline of the facts. Thereinafter, the types of narrator, the focalizations, the time of the narration (order, speeds, frequency), the snares, the persons of the narration and the narratees are examined. Furthermore, the general conclusions and an appendix of the persons of the narration are included in this dissertation.
The central conclusion of the present dissertation is that the theoretical analysis’s model of Genette can also be applied to the historical narrations of the Byzantine historians of the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, with of course some differentiations of small degree. Thereby, the literary character of these historical narrations is highlighted, apart from their undeniable value as sources of historical knowledge. Apart from that, the four narrations under examination (Byzantine-Turkish History, Chronicle, Histories, Proofs of Histories) are qualitatively classified based on their narratological characteristics [types of narrator, focalizations, time of the narration (order, speeds, frequency), snares, persons, narratees], in order their literary value to be highlighted.
