This foreword presents Sergio Basso’s innovative reinterpretation of the Barlaam and Ioasaph tradition as a polycentric process of intercultural transmission along the Silk Roads. Challenging linear models of textual descent and the presumed direct derivation from Buddhist sources, Basso introduces the “Karussell-Modell”, which conceptualizes narrative transmission as a dynamic network of adaptations, contaminations, and rewritings. Through comparative philology and the analysis of narrative units, his study redefines the legend as an exemplary case of medieval Eurasian cultural exchange, while advocating a dynamic approach to philology that prioritizes narrative circulation over the reconstruction of an original text.
Ronchey, S. (2026). Foreword, 5-8 [10.1515/9783112243169].
Foreword
silvia ronchey
2026-01-01
Abstract
This foreword presents Sergio Basso’s innovative reinterpretation of the Barlaam and Ioasaph tradition as a polycentric process of intercultural transmission along the Silk Roads. Challenging linear models of textual descent and the presumed direct derivation from Buddhist sources, Basso introduces the “Karussell-Modell”, which conceptualizes narrative transmission as a dynamic network of adaptations, contaminations, and rewritings. Through comparative philology and the analysis of narrative units, his study redefines the legend as an exemplary case of medieval Eurasian cultural exchange, while advocating a dynamic approach to philology that prioritizes narrative circulation over the reconstruction of an original text.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
