Character Types and Characterization in Byzantine Edifying Stories
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Citation | |
| Description | The chapter offers a comparative analysis of three types of heroes that emerge either as protagonists or as secondary characters in three early Byzantine collections of edifying stories: the History of the Monks in Egypt, the Lausiac History and the Daniel Sketiotis Dossier. These types are common and also often present in saints’ Lives: the desert father, the fool, and the restored sinner. In each section, I first examine the direct characterization of heroes, especially in their introduction to the scene; next, I concentrate on the way the characters are presented in action and the roles they play in events; and finally, I investigate how and to what extent insight into the heroes’ minds is offered. Although all authors of the selected collections equally adhere to the same emphasis on action and conciseness, they choose different devices and strategies to construct their central character types. Consequently, they accomplish their edifying purpose in different ways by emphasizing different elements of the saints’ characters. |