Introduction. Medieval Biographical Collections in Comparison

Abstract

This volume offers a comparative approach to collections of biographical texts from the Buddhist, Christian and Islamic worlds in the period 400-1600. It examines how both common and diverse compilation and literary strategies could be employed within and across different regions and religions. Throughout history, remarkable men and women stood out in a way that triggered an often-complex process of retelling their lives and preserving their memory through written narratives, and as a result they could become examples and sources of inspiration and identification for communities. This special issue looks at instances where such stories were preserved and presented within wider collections of biographies, where they could acquire new meanings and significance within an overarching narrative. The volume combines specialist case-studies on specific biographical collections from different regions with a number of co-written comparative essays that draw on and expand upon the conclusions of the individual studies. Within this comparative framework, the writing and compilation strategies of medieval compilers and the reception and audience of biographical collections are discussed at length. The particular potential of biographical collections to allow compilers across different cultures to evoke and promote particular ›visions of community‹ is teased out throughout the special issue.

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