Mapping Medieval Textual Heritage through French Printing and Book Trade Networks: A Preliminary Bibliographical and Ontological Study

Since the Renaissance, Western societies have shown a profound fascination with the Middle Ages, and although it is generally assumed that the transmission of the medieval cultural and literary heritage came to an end with the beginning of this new 'age', recent critical advances have demonstrated the enduring presence of medieval literature in the book markets of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. However, the publishing and reading practices that shaped the transmission and reception of this cultural heritage remain largely unexamined. The research project Medieval Lyric Heritage in the French Printing and Bookselling Network (1470-1600): A Bibliographical and Ontological Preliminary Study, supported by the Institute for Advanced Studies LeStudium at the Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Renaissance (University of Tours), addressed significant methodological challenges and sought to develop an ontology focusing on the circulation of written cultural artefacts in print, with particular emphasis on the reuse of textual, iconographic and material elements within the printing ecosystem.