Producing Ovid’s 'Metamorphoses' in the Early Modern Low Countries

John Tholen studied Classics and Book History, and obtained a Ph.D. degree at Utrecht University (2019) for his research on early modern Ovidian paratexts. He currently works as Curator of Special Collections at Rotterdam Public Library.

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Abbreviations



Introduction: Early Modern Paratexts to Ovid’s Metamorphoses

 1 The Material Text

 2 Material Reception

 3 Printing Ovid’s Metamorphoses in the Low Countries

 4 Research Corpus

 5 Analytical Approach and Structure of This Book



1 The Title Page: Creating Commercial Credibility

 1 The Commercial Value of the Early Modern Title Page

 2 Textual and Visual Self-Representation

 3 The Textual and Visual Presentation of the Edition

 4 Conclusions



2 The Front Matter: Responses to Criticism of Ovid

 1 Paratextual Functions of the Preface and Dedication

 2 Countering Criticism of the Metamorphoses

 3 Framing an Intended Reader

 4 Authorisation by Ovid

 5 Conclusions



3 The Commentary: Negotiating Ovid’s Dangerous Side

 1 The Commentary Tradition

 2 Four Domains of Interpretation

 3 Negotiating Obscenity

 4 Conclusions



4 The Index: A Filtering and Framing Device

 1 Book Producers’ Special Interest in the Index

 2 Access through Filtering and Framing

 3 Conclusions



5 Paratextual Interaction: Two Case Studies

 1 Combining Divergent Reading Contexts

 2 The Metamorphoses as a Dutch Poem (Amsterdam 1671)

 3 Conclusions



Conclusion

 1 Innovation and Tradition

 2 The Lack of Paratextual Guidance

 3 The Actual Reader



Appendix 1: Bibliography of Editions of Ovid’s Metamorphoses Printed in the Low Countries (1479–1700)



Appendix 2: List of Library Abbreviations

Bibliography

Index