2nd Edition

The Medieval Greek Romance

By Roderick Beaton Copyright 1997

    First published by CUP in 1989, The Medieval Greek Romance provides basic information for the non-specialist about Greek fiction during the period 1071-1453, as well as proposing new solutions to problems that have vexed previous generations of scholars. Roderick Beaton applies sophisticated methods of literary analysis to the material, and the bridges of the artificial gap which has separated `Byzantine'literature, in a form of ancient Greek as both homogenous and of a high level of literary sophistication.
    Throughout, consideration is given to relations and interconnections with similar literature in western Europe. As most of the texts discussed are not available in English translation, the argument is illustrated by lucid plot summaries and extensive quotation (accompanied by literal English renderings).
    For this edition, The Medieval Greek Romance has been revised throughout and expanded with the addition of an `Afterword' which assesses and responds to recent work on the subject.

    List of illustrations, Preface to the first edition, Preface to the second edition, INTRODUCTION, Part I 1071-1204, Part ll 1204-1453, Notes, References, Index

    Biography

    Roderick Beaton is Koreas Professor of medieval and modern Greek at King's College,London.

    'Roderick Beaton's book has played a mojor role in stimulating research, largely because it not only offers new solutions to the purely philological problems, but also treats the texts as literary artefacts, legitimate precursors of the modern novel.' - David Holton, Times Literary Supplement

    'It is a notable scholarly achievement: it presents complex philological issues with admirable clarity and reveals the sophistication of medieval Greek fiction. Thanks to Roderick Beaton, these texts can no longer be dismissed as abstruse, impenetrable and tedious curiositites, but as highly relevant to modern Greek culture, and in particular to the development of the modern genre of the novel.' - The Anglo-Hellenic Review.