Une appropriation impossible. Textes et formes littéraires entre Byzance et l’Occident
abstract
The topic of the translation and appropriation of texts and literary forms in the relations between Byzantium and the West presents several preliminary aspects that should be considered, such as the form, which is indebted to different literary traditions, the question of the message, the anthropological or social dimension. Very few translations or adaptations of literary texts were made in Byzantium from the seventh to the twelfth century: I shall try to explain it through the education of Byzantine scholars. I shall consider some aspects of this education by taking into account some products that are specific to the transmission of knowledge in Byzantium, such as the culture of the collection, the chronicles and the descriptions of cities, to reach the conclusion of the impossibility of translating and adapting Western models in Byzantium.
Keywords: Adaptations • Literature • Chronicles • Culture of the collection • Translations • Description of cities