The Ekphraseis in the Literature of the Palaeologan Era

The modern research has not dealt with the ekphraseis, the prose or verse works attempting a detailed and explicit description of various topics (e.g. cities, persons, buildings, works of art etc) that appear in the literature of the palaeologan era. After an introduction to the literature and especially the rhetoric of the late byzantine period - with emphasis in the descriptive texts - the ekphraseis, autonomous or incorporated into texts, are presented and classified on the basis of a common outline. In addition to the use of motifs, images and specific stylistic features or structure issues, the study examines also the descriptive techniques chosen by their authors.