Masterpieces of byzantian historiography: Anna Komnena's «Alexiad»

Pre-requisites: Students must be enrolled in their fourth year at the History Department or be studying in an applicable semester through another department, in both cases, agreed upon ahead of time with the lecturer.

Course objectives: To become familiar with a masterpiece of byzantine literature and understand relationships between the structure of the piece, ideas and ideology of the author, her way of writing and way of communicating viewpoints.

Course description: Anna Komnene (Comnena) is the only known female author in the middle ages. As the eldest daughter of byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos (1081-1118), Anna Komnene received a fine education and nurtured political ambitions for the crown throughout most of her life. In this course, attention will be given to the mutual correlation between the personality and private life of Anna Komnene and her historic work and the particular opinions that she displayed in her work.

Learning Outcomes: Being able to understand the value of this historic work in all of its its complexity, literary dimensions and spirituality.

Literature/Reading:

• Annae Comnenae Alexias, edd. D. R. Reinsch-A. Kambylis, Berlin-New York 2001.
• E. A. Dawes, The Alexiad, London 1928.
• J. Ljubarskij, Aleksiada, Sankt-Petersburg
• V. Stanković, Komnini u Carigradu (1057-1185). Evolucija jedne vladarske porodice, Beograd 2006.
• G. Buckler, Anna Comnena, Oxford 1929.
• Anna Komnene and Her Times, ed. Th. G. Peterson, New York - London, 2000.
• V. Stankovic, Konstantios Doukas, Nikephoros Bryennios and Anna Komnene: A Story About Different Perspectives, Byzantinische Zeitschrift 100-1, 159-170.