El Navfrágio da nao S. Alberto, e itinerário da gente que delle se salvov, de João Baptista Lavanha: los paratextos de 1597 y los de 1736

Abstract

Composing paratexts such as titles, book covers and dedications between the 16th and 18th centuries had important political implications. This action shows the author’s strong reliance on powerful figures, who could be the kings, other members of royal family and nobility. During this period, the modification of paratexts implied the transformation of the objectives of the author. In this article, I compare the paratexts of the 1597 edition of Navfrágio da nao S. Alberto, e itinerario da gente que delle se salvov, by the Portuguese royal cosmographer João Baptista Lavanha, and those of 1736, included in Bernardo Gomes de Brito’s compilation named História trágico-marítima. Lavanha dedicated his work to the future Philip III, whereas Bernardo Gomes de Brito dedicated his anthology to king João V, a member of the dynasty who restored the Portuguese monarchy.