This study is the revised version of my PhD thesis, which was accepted by the Faculty of Philosophy of the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen in 2022. This project could not have been completed without the help and support of several people and institutions to whom I owe my deepest thanks.
Foremost, I want to thank my supervisor Prof. Dr Robert Kirstein for encouraging me to write a narratological study, for all his valuable advice and for his cheerful, calm and respectful nature, as well as his patience and support in times of creativity and crisis. I also want to express sincere thanks to my second supervisor Prof. Dr Irene de Jong (Amsterdam), as the commentary gained much through her narratological expertise and vast knowledge. Professor de Jong has invested a great deal of time during the revision of my thesis to bring the commentary to its final form. From the bottom of my heart: dank u wel!
This project would not have been possible without the support of the Landesgraduiertenförderung of Baden-Württemberg, which supported me with a generous grant from 2018 to 2020. Special thanks also go to Dr Kathleen Rettenberger and Millie Gall for thoroughly proofreading the English manuscript, as well as to Giulia Moriconi and Marlou Meems who guided me through publication. My thanks are also extended to the professors and employees of the Philological Seminar in Tübingen, a place that I have now known for so many years and that has always provided me with a welcoming, warm and creative working environment. In this regard, I want to mention the friends and colleagues of the Tübingen Working Group ‘Narrative Dynamics in Latin Literature’. Special thanks must go to Dr Elisabeth Schedel, who (writing her own narratological commentary) was in the same boat as me and with whom I had many very fruitful discussions. My personal thanks also go to Dr Andreas Abele, Jutta Beck, Katharina Blaas, Simon Grund, Dr Hans-Peter Nill and Katharina Stefaniw, who cross-read parts of the manuscript, listened patiently to my complaints and provided urgently needed distraction. Without our coffee breaks and lunches, the days in the office would have been far more tedious!
Orpheus and his magic have accompanied me for several years. Words cannot express how grateful I am for having so many good friends (thanks to all of you!) and a large and caring family. Sincere thanks go to my parents, Christine and Oliver, my grandparents Christl, Trudel, Hermann and Gerhard, my brother Frederik, my sister Franziska and all my aunts, uncles, cousins, and nephews. You always supported and understood my academic path, grounding me in times of doubt. And, of course, I owe thanks to Erika and our two sweet little children Adrian and Milena—Les enfants doivent être très indulgents envers les grandes personnes.
This commentary is dedicated to my grandfather, Prof. Dr Hermann Wenzel, who has been my spiritual and intellectual role model since my childhood.