Karl Krumbacher and the history of Byzantine literature

Abstract

AbstractThe paper (structured in five parts) examines how Karl Krumbacher (1856-1909) formulated his major concepts about Byzantine literature and its history. After a brief look at Krumbacher’s formation as scholar, the main part of the paper examines the “history” of the writing of the Geschichte der byzantinischen Litteratur in its two editions, as well as the now forgotten Die griechische Litteratur des Mittelalters (1905), a chapter written for a popularizing volume on Greek and Latin literature. The main aim of the paper is to show which exactly were Krumbacher’s concepts on periodization, literature, language and culture in Byzantine times, and how these concepts influenced the way in which Byzantine and Early Modern Greek was viewed and studied until very recently.