The Orlando Furioso in print, 1516-1542, an historical study and a descriptive bibliography

grantor: University of TorontoThe aim of this dissertation is to reconstruct the history of Ludovico Ariosto's 'Orlando Furioso' as a material object from the 'editio princeps' of 1516 to Gabriele Giolito's edition of 1542. The analysis is based on the physical evidence derived from the direct examination of extant copies of the thirty-six editions that appeared during the period under consideration. My primary concern is the evolution of the formal presentation of the 'Furioso', and specifically the physical features of format, layout, illustration, decoration, and size and styles of type. The Introduction sets out the methodological bases of the dissertation, namely historical bibliography for Part I, and analytical and descriptive bibliography for Part II; it also provides a survey of previous work on the subject. Although I have drawn to some extent on these prior studies, the application of Anglo-American bibliographical techniques to the early editions of the 'Furioso' represents an original contribution to the scholarship on Ariosto's work. The five sections of Part I examine the major phases in the physical history of the 'Furioso' to 1542: the three editions published in Ferrara during Ariosto's lifetime; the commercial success achieved by the work from 1524 to 1531; the first illustrated editions by Nicolò Zoppino; the other much-imitated formula, inaugurated by Francesco Bindoni and Maffeo Pasini in 1535, of including commentaries designed to aid the reader; Giolito's integration of illustration and commentary, and the consequent redefinition of the 'Furioso''s physical form. Part II is a descriptive bibliography of the thirty-six editions examined. It is designed to provide a detailed, technical basis for Part I, and it also functions independently as a standard against which copies in addition to those examined here may be analyzed. The dissertation includes a short list of the editions and a glossary of bibliographical terms.Ph.D