Although epigraphs are a small part of the ecology of the novel, treated as a network they reveal fresh connections and perspectives on literature • To study the hitherto untold history of the literary epigraph and its evolution in purpose and form.
the project seeks to discover the origin of the first epigraph, to determine whether the use of epigraphs increases in frequency over time, and to contextualise its evolution in relation to a changing socio-historical context.