Transformacions. Vol. 1. A medieval Catalan translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses

Francesc Alegre translated Ovid's Metamorphoses into Catalan prose between c. 1472-1482, and he revised it before its publication in 1494, with a print run of 1,000 copies. Some scholars have underlined its singularity because it was translated directly from Ovid, whereas the French and the Italian incunabula were not. Nevertheless, Alegre turned to other vernacular versions, such as Giovanni Bonsignori's and Joan Roís de Corella's. He drew on different sources to approach Ovid's poem to a medieval readership who did not know classical mythology deeply. This critical edition offers a study of Alegre's methodology, learned style, intention, sources (including news on the Latin copy he used), and an analysis of the preserved incunabula.