ABSTRACT
In 1988 the British Library mounted an exhibition on Daphnis and Chloe, with several dozen versions of the book on display; it was called Daphnis and Chloe: The Markets and Metamorphoses of an Unknown Bestseller, 1 Bestseller it certainly has been: according to Giles Barber’s catalogue for the exhibition, in the five hundred years since the first printed reference to the work, by Poliziano in 1489, some five hundred different editions, translations, and adaptations have appeared, in various languages. An impressive average. Perhaps its perennial appeal is due in part to its tantalizing quality, for readings of it have varied widely. This chapter will look at some of them, and at some general questions of structure and interpretation.
