Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters - The Byzantine Family of Michael Psellos (Paperback)

Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters makes available for the first time extensive English translations from the works of Michael Psellos (1018-1081?), a key philosopher of the Byzantine Empire. Psellos was not simply a philosopher, he was also a courtier, historian, and monk, and his works betray a dazzling engagement with philosophy, theology, history, and science. These interests were expressed in some eleven hundred works, including formal rhetorical texts, history writing, letters, poetry, and texts written for his students. This book contains the works that Psellos wrote about his family, including a long funeral oration for his mother that features unique recollections from a childhood spent in Constantinople; a funeral oration for his young daughter Styline, which includes a detailed description of her physical appearance and a moving account of her illness and death; a legal work pertaining to the engagement of his second, adopted, daughter; and various letters and other works that relate to the private life of this Byzantine family. These works offer us a rare and comprehensive picture of the family life of a medieval Byzantine courtier and philosopher. Much of the material follows the rules of rhetoric inherited from classical and Christian antiquity, but Psellos was always recasting the conventions of those genres to express his own revolutionary views regarding the relation of body and soul. Some of these works also have an apologetic or legal purpose, as Psellos occasionally used them to get himself out of trouble. Mothers and Sons, Fathers and Daughters will appeal to all who study medieval women, childhood, and the family, especially as it provides a Byzantineperspective that has been absent from most modern discussions of those topics.

General

Imprint:	University of Notre Dame Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Michael Psellos in Translation
Release date:	November 2006
First published:	November 2006
Authors:	Michael Psellos
Editors:	Anthony Kaldellis
Dimensions:	228 x 155 x 16mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	224
ISBN-13:	978-0-268-03315-6
Categories:	Books > Language & Literature > Biography & autobiography > Historical, political & military Books > Humanities > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Books > Humanities > History > European history > General Books > Humanities > Philosophy > Western philosophy > Western philosophy, c 500 to c 1600 > General Books > History > European history > General Books > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Books > Biography > Historical, political & military Books > Philosophy > Western philosophy > Western philosophy, c 500 to c 1600 > General
LSN:	0-268-03315-3
Barcode:	9780268033156

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