Introduction: Early Modern Paratexts to Ovid's Metamorphoses -- The Title Page: Creating Commercial Credibility -- The Front Matter: Responses to Criticism of Ovid -- The Commentary: Negotiating Ovid's Dangerous Side -- The Index: A Filtering and Framing Device -- Paratextual Interaction: Two Case Studies -- Conclusion -- Appendix 1: Bibliography of Editions of Ovid's Metamorphoses Printed in the Low Countries (1479-1700) -- Appendix 2: List of Library Abbreviations
Summary
"Printers in the early modern Low Countries produced no fewer than 152 editions of Ovid's Metamorphoses. John Tholen investigates what these editions can tell us about the early modern application of the popular ancient text. Analysis of paratexts shows, for example, how editors and commentators guide readers to Ovid's potentially subversive contents. Paratextual infrastructures intended to create commercial credibility, but simultaneously were a response to criticism of reading the Metamorphoses. The book combines two often separated fields of research: book history and reception studies. It provides a compelling case study of how investigation into the material contexts of ancient texts sheds new light on early modern receptions of antiquity"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes
Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on September 29, 2021)
