This volume sets out to bridge the gap between medieval and early modern literary studies. It contains a selection of essays by both distinguished experts and young scholars in either field, and marks the foundation of the Swiss Association of Medieval and Early Modern English Studies. The contributions address the crucial issue of how texts engage with other texts. They do so in a variety of ways, focusing on pretexts, paratexts, and marginalia. What emerges is an insight into the way texts shape identity – be it that of the author, the readership, or the texts themselves.