Narrative patterns in the lives of Greek poets from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period

• Grant number: 21/02513-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): August 01, 2021
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Literature - Classical Literatures
• Principal Investigator: Adriane da Silva Duarte
• Grantee: Camila de Moura Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/04940-0 - Narrative patterns in the lives of ancient Greek poets, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

In the last decade, the study of ancient biographies has regained interest within the area of classical studies. This project aims to expand this field of research in Brazil by focusing on the ancient anonymous biographies (lives) of Greek poets from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period that have come down to us as scholia or attached to the medieval manuscripts of the Works of these poets. These biographies bear witness to a long textual tradition that goes back to the first Hellenistic lives, whose elaboration responded to the demands of an incipient scholarship that was beginning to codify their practices in the great libraries of the Hellenized Mediterranean. Unlike some collections of lives from the imperial period, such as those of Plutarch or Suetonius, the lives of Greek poets were sparsely transmitted, and relegated to the position of mere extra-textual addenda, despite the great impact they had on Philology, Philosophy, and literary studies. The present research intends to bring the lives of Greek poets to the foreground, producing an unprecedented and comprehensive study that dialogues with the most recent trends in the field, moving away from the historicizing reading to which these texts have been tied for centuries and understanding them as fictional narratives that make use of identifiable procedures. To do so, we will use methodological principles of textual analysis originating from formalist theories, in order to identify narrative patterns common to those lives and access the imaginary around the character of the poet that they integrate and engender. Given the scarcity of available editions, a collection of translations will be produced to support this study and prospective future studies, as well as to ascertain the subsequent theoretical propositions. (AU)