Growing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual culture
<p>Byzantium in the twelfth century was a society in which diverse images of the elderly existed simultaneously. This thesis analyses the multiple meanings of growing old in this period of Byzantine history, painting a nuanced picture of the ideas and associations that underpinned the many con...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2023
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| _version_ | 1797110111838142464 |
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| author | Hitt, J |
| author2 | Toth, I |
| author_facet | Toth, I Hitt, J |
| author_sort | Hitt, J |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>Byzantium in the twelfth century was a society in which diverse images of the elderly existed simultaneously. This thesis analyses the multiple meanings of growing old in this period of Byzantine history, painting a nuanced picture of the ideas and associations that underpinned the many conflicting representations of ageing. The results of this study shed some light on the cultural significance of growing old, and on the role of age in the construction of Byzantine identity more generally.</p>
<p>To this date there has been relatively little scholarship on age in Byzantium, and much of this scholarship has tended to focus on the earlier part of the life course. This thesis focuses exclusively on representations of ageing and the elderly in the literary and visual culture of twelfth-century Byzantium. It utilises a range of Greek textual sources, including historiography, hagiography, fictional literature, occasional poems and verse epigrams, together with visual evidence in the form of religious icons, monumental art and manuscript illumination. The various age motifs are examined and situated within broader trends in contemporary discourse. The intended outcome of the thesis is thus the production of what might be termed a ‘thick description’ of old age in Byzantium. By interpreting the images of old age ’thickly’, the findings of the thesis contribute towards a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of ageing. From the evidence presented, it is suggested that in twelfth-century Byzantium growing old was a relative concept whose meaning was subject to the context in which it was depicted. Defined chiefly through contrast with youth, the imagery of old age represented a potent and emotive poetic tool, deployed in contemporary literature and art to convey a range of meanings.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:50:32Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:c5f2702f-0518-44ea-ac20-aebd9fc2ff67 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T07:50:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:c5f2702f-0518-44ea-ac20-aebd9fc2ff672023-07-07T13:17:18ZGrowing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual cultureThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:c5f2702f-0518-44ea-ac20-aebd9fc2ff67Age groupsPainting, ByzantineLiterature and historyEnglishHyrax Deposit2023Hitt, JToth, I<p>Byzantium in the twelfth century was a society in which diverse images of the elderly existed simultaneously. This thesis analyses the multiple meanings of growing old in this period of Byzantine history, painting a nuanced picture of the ideas and associations that underpinned the many conflicting representations of ageing. The results of this study shed some light on the cultural significance of growing old, and on the role of age in the construction of Byzantine identity more generally.</p> <p>To this date there has been relatively little scholarship on age in Byzantium, and much of this scholarship has tended to focus on the earlier part of the life course. This thesis focuses exclusively on representations of ageing and the elderly in the literary and visual culture of twelfth-century Byzantium. It utilises a range of Greek textual sources, including historiography, hagiography, fictional literature, occasional poems and verse epigrams, together with visual evidence in the form of religious icons, monumental art and manuscript illumination. The various age motifs are examined and situated within broader trends in contemporary discourse. The intended outcome of the thesis is thus the production of what might be termed a ‘thick description’ of old age in Byzantium. By interpreting the images of old age ’thickly’, the findings of the thesis contribute towards a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of ageing. From the evidence presented, it is suggested that in twelfth-century Byzantium growing old was a relative concept whose meaning was subject to the context in which it was depicted. Defined chiefly through contrast with youth, the imagery of old age represented a potent and emotive poetic tool, deployed in contemporary literature and art to convey a range of meanings.</p> |
| spellingShingle | Age groups Painting, Byzantine Literature and history Hitt, J Growing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual culture |
| title | Growing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual culture |
| title_full | Growing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual culture |
| title_fullStr | Growing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual culture |
| title_full_unstemmed | Growing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual culture |
| title_short | Growing old in Byzantium: the construction of ageing in twelfth-century literary and visual culture |
| title_sort | growing old in byzantium the construction of ageing in twelfth century literary and visual culture |
| topic | Age groups Painting, Byzantine Literature and history |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hittj growingoldinbyzantiumtheconstructionofageingintwelfthcenturyliteraryandvisualculture |