Chapter 4 Theory of Literature Stratis Papaioannou Even a quick glance at the surviving Byzantine texts, manuscript books, and inscriptions would reveal that it was not only literature that was profusely produced in Byzantium, but also a substantial body of thought about literature. Tis theory of literature set a series of expectations for authors, story-tellers, performers, readers, and listeners; it de- fned norms of discursive behavior; and it created systems of taste regarding the beau- tiful, the moral, or the communicatively efective (and their opposites) in texts. As such, it warrants attention by any modern student of Byzantine literature. Tough we shall not fnd answers to all of our questions in Byzantine theory, and though it is not always easy to draw direct links between theory and practice, Byzantine approaches to textual aes- thetics do ofer an important window into the premises that shaped the production and consumption of literature in Byzantium. Te present chapter aims to introduce this thought by focusing on the following three questions: Where do we encounter Byzantine literary theory? What are its main features and major preoccupations? And what are the notions of “literature” that emerge from it? Our exploration will alternate between the general and the specifc. We shall begin with an overview, move to a closer look at a single feld (namely rhetorical theory), return to an examination of problems and trends shared by diferent types of theory, and fnish with a case study that traces Byzantine approaches toward a key concept in modern lit- erary theorization: fction. Theories Te plural in the title of this section is emphatic. Just like its modern equivalent, Byzantine literary theory is a polymorph creature that is hard to pin down. Te frst obvious place to look for it is the Byzantine school, namely the manuals and textbooks, but also commentaries, treatises, dictionaries, anthologies, and notes, written in the context of discursive education. Tough the school in Byzantium was itself a