History and Medieval Studies

Attendance of this workshop is free, but registration is required. Please register by completing this form until May 17, 2017.

A joint event organized by Institute for Advanced Study at CEU and the Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at CEU.

Narrative is, according to Ricoeur, a “fundamental structure of self-understanding.” While Ricoeur’s concept of the “narrative self” extends far beyond generic lines, these two domains—narrative and self-understanding—represent the primary aims of this project: to uncover and explicate the manifold ways ancient Mediterranean authors constructed identity and group-formation through discursive means, namely through the telling of stories. This study is concerned with literary fictions generally coded by scholars as “Jewish” from the Persian and Hellenistic periods (ca. 450–50 BCE).

The sentimental letter, also known as the familiar letter, was a genre unique to the late eighteenth century. As a practice of reading and writing, its purpose was introspection. By setting their thoughts to paper, individuals scrutinized and trained their moral dispositions, soliciting sympathy and reciprocation from their recipients.