Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation (Literature, Culture, Theory, Series Number 20)

Paratexts are those liminal devices and conventions, both within and outside the book, that mediate between book, author and reader: titles, forewords and publishers' jacket copy form part of a book's private and public history. In this first English translation of Paratexts, G?rard Genette offers a global view of these liminal mediations and their relation to the reading public. With precision, clarity and through wide reference, he shows how paratexts interact with general questions of literature as a cultural institution. Richard Macksey's foreword situates Genette in contemporary literary theory. Paratexts Are Those Liminal Devices And Conventions, Both Within And Outside The Book, That Form Part Of The Complex Mediation Between Book, Author, Publisher, And Reader: Titles, Forewords, Epigraphs, And Publishers' Jacket Copy Are Part Of A Book's Private And Public History. In Paratexts, An English Translation Of Seuils, Gerard Genette Shows How The Special Pragmatic Status Of Paratextual Declarations Requires A Carefully Calibrated Analysis Of Their Illocutionary Force. With Clarity, Precision, And An Extraordinary Range Of Reference, Paratexts Constitutes An Encyclopedic Survey Of The Customs And Institutions Of The Republic Of Letters As They Are Revealed In The Borderlands Of The Text. Genette Presents A Global View Of These Liminal Mediations And The Logic Of Their Relation To The Reading Public By Studying Each Element As A Literary Function. Richard Macksey's Foreword Describes How The Poetics Of Paratexts Interacts With More General Questions Of Literature As A Cultural Institution, And Situates Genette's Work In Contemporary Literary Theory.--jacket. Introduction -- The Publisher's Peritext -- The Name Of The Author -- Titles -- The Please-insert -- Dedications And Inscriptions -- Epigraphs -- The Prefatorial Situtation Of Communication -- The Functions Of The Original Preface -- Other Prefaces, Other Functions -- Intertitles -- Notes -- The Public Epitext -- The Private Epitext -- Conclusion. Gérard Genette ; Translated By Jane E. Lewin ; Foreword By Richard Macksey. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 411-417) And Index. Paratexts are those liminal devices and conventions, both within and outside the book, that form part of the complex mediation between book, author, publisher and reader: titles, forewords, epigraphs and publishers' jacket copy are part of a book's private and public history. In this first English translation of Paratexts, Gérard Genette shows how the special pragmatic status of paratextual declaration requires a carefully calibrated analysis of their illocutionary force. With clarity, precision and an extraordinary range of reference, Paratexts constitutes an encyclopedic survey of the customs and institutions as revealed in the borderlands of the text. Genette presents a global view of these liminal mediations and the logic of their relation to the reading public by studying each element as a literary function. Richard Macksey's foreword describes how the poetics of paratexts interact with more general questions of literature as a cultural institution, and situates Gennet's work in contemporary literary theory I give the name publisher's peritext to the whole zone of the peritext that is the direct and principal (but not exclusive) responsibility of the publisher (or perhaps, to be more abstract but also more exact, of the publishing house) - that is, the zone that exists merely by the fact that a book is published and possibly republished and offered to the public in one or several more or less varied presentations. Genette shows how paratexts - titles, forewords, publishers' blurbs - shape both individual readings and literature as cultural institution