Paratexts in Portuguese early printed books: A study of four volumes of “Monarchia Lusitana”

Abstract

The paper discusses paratexts in Portuguese early printed books. In particular, it concentrates on the first four volumes of Monarquia Lusitana, printed between 1597 and 1632. The main finding is that a closer examination of the works in question makes it possible to analyse paratexts of early printed books in Portugal, including approbations written and signed by censors and introductory texts, such as prefaces. Furthermore, it may allow insight into the relationship between the author and the authority and its dynamics. The paper is methodologically facilitated with, among others, the works of Renarda Ocieczek (2002) and André Sekkel Cerqueira (2016).