Greta Stoyanova is an Associate professor teaching Old Bulgarian literature at the “Konstantin Preslavsky” University of Shumen. Her research is focused mainly in the field of hagiography and hymnography.
The paper discusses the use of topoi, prototypes and proto-characters to present the protagonists in the oldest surviving Old Bulgarian lives and deeds of saints (The Life and Works of Saint Cyril the Philosopher, The Life and Works of Saint Methodius, and the Anonymous Life of Saint John of Rila). The function of a prototype/ proto-character is to reveal the saint’s resemblance to the former concerning symptomatic characteristics, actions, and situations, for example, by analogy to a familiar authority (biblical, patristic, hagiographic or other). The lives recall the ascetic exploits of the prototype and simultaneously laud the new saint. The meanings of the topoi and prototypes extend beyond the particulars of the text and become a significant element in the creation of shared Christian memory. The topoi and prototypes in hagiographic texts portrayed ideal examples to be followed, passing them on in time and turning them into traditions.
Subject: Scripta Medieval Studies Linguistic History of Literature Keywords: topoi prototypes Old Bulgarian hagiography Saint Cyril the Philosopher Saint Methodius Saint John of RilaCopyright © 2024. All rights reserved.