out in Ll-S’s masterly biography. There is perhaps a certain unifying logic that such an engrossing volume therefore ends just when Venizelos, and Greece itself, entered a turbulent era – a National Schism that was to define Venizelos’ later career and profoundly shape the life of the country. The second volume will be eagerly anticipated, but meanwhile the work already constitutes a major addition to the historiography.
{"title":"Evan Jones (tr.), C.P. Cavafy, The Barbarians Arrive Today: Poems and Prose. Manchester: Carcanet Classics, 2020. Pp. 338.","authors":"Kyriaco Nikias","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.24","url":null,"abstract":"out in Ll-S’s masterly biography. There is perhaps a certain unifying logic that such an engrossing volume therefore ends just when Venizelos, and Greece itself, entered a turbulent era – a National Schism that was to define Venizelos’ later career and profoundly shape the life of the country. The second volume will be eagerly anticipated, but meanwhile the work already constitutes a major addition to the historiography.","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"46 1","pages":"147 - 149"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44355947","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trine Stauning Willert and Gerasimus Katsan (eds.), Retelling the Past in Contemporary Greek Literature, Film, and Popular Culture. Lanham: Lexington Books, Pp. 276.","authors":"E. Yannakakis","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.21","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.21","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"45 1","pages":"291 - 293"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41937689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Since Roman times the representation of monarchy as an antidote to anarchy was a strong form of legitimization for the monarchical institution. In modern Greece, this formula dates back to 1821. The Greek Revolution and its republican constitutions were identified by European statesmen with anarchy and demagogy. Thus, a foreign monarch, alien to Greece's internal factions, was deemed the ideal remedy for internecine strife, and the best guarantor of internal unity as well as stability in the Near East. This image of monarchy proved its usefulness again during the First World War, when a controversy between the premier Eleftherios Venizelos and King Constantine over foreign policy and constitutional issues led to the National Schism (1915–17).
{"title":"An antidote to anarchy? Images of monarchy in Greece in the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries","authors":"Spyridon G. Ploumidis","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.6","url":null,"abstract":"Since Roman times the representation of monarchy as an antidote to anarchy was a strong form of legitimization for the monarchical institution. In modern Greece, this formula dates back to 1821. The Greek Revolution and its republican constitutions were identified by European statesmen with anarchy and demagogy. Thus, a foreign monarch, alien to Greece's internal factions, was deemed the ideal remedy for internecine strife, and the best guarantor of internal unity as well as stability in the Near East. This image of monarchy proved its usefulness again during the First World War, when a controversy between the premier Eleftherios Venizelos and King Constantine over foreign policy and constitutional issues led to the National Schism (1915–17).","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"45 1","pages":"240 - 254"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/byz.2021.6","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48658374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"E. McGreer (tr.), Byzantium in the Time of Troubles: The Continuation of the Chronicle of John Skylitzes (1057–1079). Leiden: Brill, 2020, Pp. xvi, 216.","authors":"Toby Bromige","doi":"10.1017/BYZ.2021.19","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/BYZ.2021.19","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"45 1","pages":"275 - 276"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/BYZ.2021.19","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49310414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article argues that coherence in medieval narratives was perceived differently than it is in modern literature, offering an analysis of coherence principles in Digenes Akrites which seem to have been more relevant for its original audiences. Drawing on contemporary narratology and recent research on comparable western works, the author does not search for one sole superordinate principle, but rather for so-called structures of mid-range coherence. The article contains some examples of such ‘centres of gravity’ – the schema, the scene and the meaning – in the G version.
{"title":"Narrative coherence in Digenes Akrites (G)","authors":"M. Kulhánková","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.14","url":null,"abstract":"This article argues that coherence in medieval narratives was perceived differently than it is in modern literature, offering an analysis of coherence principles in Digenes Akrites which seem to have been more relevant for its original audiences. Drawing on contemporary narratology and recent research on comparable western works, the author does not search for one sole superordinate principle, but rather for so-called structures of mid-range coherence. The article contains some examples of such ‘centres of gravity’ – the schema, the scene and the meaning – in the G version.","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"45 1","pages":"184 - 198"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/byz.2021.14","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47363022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
events of the late eleventh century, offering at times his thoughts and opinions on events and individuals. As noted by McGeer, ‘[Skylitzes] asserts that its value lies in his critical reading of earlier chronicles and histories, his selection and abridgement of their contents, and the distillation of his sources into essentials, “a history pure and simple” purged of the glorification, censure, or credulity that in his view distorted so many of the works he consulted’ (p. 4). This might explain why the Continuation is only a fifth of the length of Attaleiates’ History: Skylitzes saw it as his purpose to re-package and eliminate unnecessary sections of aggrandisement or harsh opinions on the part of the original authors. One of the most welcome features of this new edition is the concordance (pp. 193–197) that cross-references the historical episodes recorded by Skylitzes Continutatus with Attaleiates and Zonaras: this is extremely useful for students and scholars wishing to undertake comparative analysis of these extraordinary times. Also of considerable value are the introduction and detailed accompanying notes, which illuminate and inform the reader with nuanced explanations and prosopographical information. In the introduction, McGeer offers a detailed summary of the events of the late eleventh century, highlighting areas that may have affected the interpretations of the primary authors themselves, especially the DoukoiKomnenoi rivalry following the abdication of Isaac I Komnenos in 1057. The inclusion of images and a discussion of imperial seals draws attention to an often-overlooked form of evidence, sigillography; this, coupled with the prosopographical index (by John Nesbitt) for reference, helps the reader to contextualise the various characters by providing and explaining their ranks and titles. The translation of Skylitzes Continuatus into English will greatly aid readers interested in the Byzantine world of the eleventh century but unable to read it in the original Greek. This work of McGeer and Nesbitt deserves high praise for stripping away the curtain of inaccessibility, allowing scholars of all levels the chance to study this formative time in Byzantine history.
{"title":"Catherine Vanderheyde, La Sculpture byzantine du IXe au XVe siècle: contexte – mise en oeuvre – décors. Paris: Éditions A. & J. Picard, 2020. Pp. 364, 193 figs.","authors":"Henry P. Maguire","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.16","url":null,"abstract":"events of the late eleventh century, offering at times his thoughts and opinions on events and individuals. As noted by McGeer, ‘[Skylitzes] asserts that its value lies in his critical reading of earlier chronicles and histories, his selection and abridgement of their contents, and the distillation of his sources into essentials, “a history pure and simple” purged of the glorification, censure, or credulity that in his view distorted so many of the works he consulted’ (p. 4). This might explain why the Continuation is only a fifth of the length of Attaleiates’ History: Skylitzes saw it as his purpose to re-package and eliminate unnecessary sections of aggrandisement or harsh opinions on the part of the original authors. One of the most welcome features of this new edition is the concordance (pp. 193–197) that cross-references the historical episodes recorded by Skylitzes Continutatus with Attaleiates and Zonaras: this is extremely useful for students and scholars wishing to undertake comparative analysis of these extraordinary times. Also of considerable value are the introduction and detailed accompanying notes, which illuminate and inform the reader with nuanced explanations and prosopographical information. In the introduction, McGeer offers a detailed summary of the events of the late eleventh century, highlighting areas that may have affected the interpretations of the primary authors themselves, especially the DoukoiKomnenoi rivalry following the abdication of Isaac I Komnenos in 1057. The inclusion of images and a discussion of imperial seals draws attention to an often-overlooked form of evidence, sigillography; this, coupled with the prosopographical index (by John Nesbitt) for reference, helps the reader to contextualise the various characters by providing and explaining their ranks and titles. The translation of Skylitzes Continuatus into English will greatly aid readers interested in the Byzantine world of the eleventh century but unable to read it in the original Greek. This work of McGeer and Nesbitt deserves high praise for stripping away the curtain of inaccessibility, allowing scholars of all levels the chance to study this formative time in Byzantine history.","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"45 1","pages":"276 - 279"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/byz.2021.16","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49621883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Alexander Kitroeff, The Greeks and the Making of Modern Egypt. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2019. Pp 249","authors":"George Vassiadis","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.18","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.18","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"45 1","pages":"287 - 289"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/byz.2021.18","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47337007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gonda van Steen, Adoption, Memory and the Cold War: Kid pro quo? Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2019. Pp. 330, xx.","authors":"M. Kenna","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.15","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.15","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"45 1","pages":"289 - 291"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/byz.2021.15","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49029364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores the movie Τέλος εποχής (End of an Era) by Antonis Kokkinos (1994), a key film in the regeneration of Greek cinema in the mid-late 1990s. The film constitutes a form of public history construing and problematizing relations between the images and the historical past, exploring the dictatorship (1967–74) through the consumer-oriented values of the 1990s. By scrutinizing historical (dis)continuities (similarities, differences, and transformations in consumer politics and sexuality in particular) between the dictatorship and the 1990s, the article argues that, focusing on 1960s youth, End of an Era underplayed the dictatorship's authoritarianism and (re)defined politics through the availability (or not) of consumer choices, expressing the relaxed ideological climate of the 1990s.
{"title":"The Rebellious 1960s via the Prosperous 1990s: Youth, Modernity and Consumption in Antonis Kokkinos’ Τέλος εποχής (End of an Era) (1994)","authors":"P. Zestanakis","doi":"10.1017/byz.2021.8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/byz.2021.8","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the movie Τέλος εποχής (End of an Era) by Antonis Kokkinos (1994), a key film in the regeneration of Greek cinema in the mid-late 1990s. The film constitutes a form of public history construing and problematizing relations between the images and the historical past, exploring the dictatorship (1967–74) through the consumer-oriented values of the 1990s. By scrutinizing historical (dis)continuities (similarities, differences, and transformations in consumer politics and sexuality in particular) between the dictatorship and the 1990s, the article argues that, focusing on 1960s youth, End of an Era underplayed the dictatorship's authoritarianism and (re)defined politics through the availability (or not) of consumer choices, expressing the relaxed ideological climate of the 1990s.","PeriodicalId":43258,"journal":{"name":"BYZANTINE AND MODERN GREEK STUDIES","volume":"46 1","pages":"118 - 136"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2021-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1017/byz.2021.8","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47372961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}