ABSTRACT
In 1988 the British Library mounted an exhibition on Daphnis and Chloe, with several dozen versions o f the book on display; it was called Daphnis and Chloe: The Markets and Metamorphoses of an Unknown Bestseller.1 Best seller 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, transla tions, and adaptations have appeared, in various languages. An impressive average. Perhaps its perennial appeal is due in part to its tantalizing quality, for readings o f it have varied widely. This chapter will look at some o f them, and at some general questions o f structure and interpretation.
