Exploring the generic character of the modern Greek short story (διηγημα): the case of Palamas and Xenopoulos (c.1880–1930)*

Author: Karaiskou, Maria

Source: Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, Volume 33, Number 1, March 2009 , pp. 61-82(22)

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Abstract:

This article examines how two prominent Greek critics of the period 1880–1930 — Palamas and Xenopoulos — perceived the generic character and the narrative demands of the modern Greek short story (διηγημα). It explores the degree that two cardinal aspects in the theory of the genre — the relation of the short story with the novel and the division into two separate short-story traditions — influenced both critics in their definition of the διηγημα and in their evaluation of the work of specific short story writers. The contrast and comparison of Palamas' and Xenopoulos' views pinpoints the standards, contradictions and restrictions that formed the critical perspectives on the διηγημα and thus highlights its neglected critical history during the period 1880–1930, which coincided with its prevalence in mainstream Greek prose fiction.

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/174962509X384615

Publication date: 2009-03-01

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