On Matters of Style: Theory vs Practice
Maximos Planoudes’ Applied Grammar Examined in his Letters
Having studied for my BA and MA in Classics at the University of Messina, I moved to London for my PhD in Classics at King’s College, thanks to a bursary granted by the London Arts and Humanities Partnership. While in the UK, I taught subjects related to my research at the undergraduate level and chaired the ICS postgraduate work-in-progress seminar series. I am interested in researching cultural changes in periods of transition, how cultural legacies are repurposed to fit a new context and reflect new values, and how ties with tradition are preserved or severed. I studied Technopaegnia and Late Antique quotation practice.
My MELA-project is twofold: I will translate Maximus Planoudes’ letters into English, focusing on grammar and usage. Then I will use this work to assess Maximus’ stylistic practice against the rules set by his own manuals to see what differences, if any, emerge. At UGent, I will also contribute to teaching the course “Greek Linguistics: Specific Problems” on the history of Atticism and Kunstprosa.