Chapter 2. On the dynamic interaction between peritext and epitext
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Jukka Tyrkkö
Abstract
Originally introduced in literary theory, Gerard Genette’s concept of paratext has been increasingly adopted in historical linguistics as a collective term for features other than the so-called ‘body text’. While this development and the renewed attention to these features is welcome, we argue that Genette’s original concept has been simplified and at least partly misrepresented in the linguistic context. Using a newly compiled corpus of Punch magazine as our primary data, we discuss how and why the two constituent terms of paratext, peritext and epitext, can be useful in the linguistic context. More specifically, we demonstrate that when considered from a diachronic perspective, the interactions between the concepts may afford new insights into textual interpretation.
Abstract
Originally introduced in literary theory, Gerard Genette’s concept of paratext has been increasingly adopted in historical linguistics as a collective term for features other than the so-called ‘body text’. While this development and the renewed attention to these features is welcome, we argue that Genette’s original concept has been simplified and at least partly misrepresented in the linguistic context. Using a newly compiled corpus of Punch magazine as our primary data, we discuss how and why the two constituent terms of paratext, peritext and epitext, can be useful in the linguistic context. More specifically, we demonstrate that when considered from a diachronic perspective, the interactions between the concepts may afford new insights into textual interpretation.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
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Part I. Conceptualisations of text and framing phenomena
- Chapter 1. Framing framing 3
- Chapter 2. On the dynamic interaction between peritext and epitext 33
- Chapter 3. The footnote in Late Modern English historiographical writing 63
- Chapter 4. Threshold-switching 91
- Chapter 5. Framing material in early literacy 115
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Part II. Framing and audience orientation
- Chapter 6. Paratext and ideology in 17th-century news genres 137
- Chapter 7. “All which I offer with my own experience” 163
- Chapter 8. “I write not to expert practitioners, but to learners” 187
- Chapter 9. Book producers’ comments on text-organisation in early 16th-century English printed paratexts 209
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Part III. Form and layout in framing
- Chapter 10. Paratextual features in 18th-century medical writing 233
- Chapter 11. Recuperating Older Scots in the early 18th century 267
- Chapter 12. Paratext, information studies, and Middle English manuscripts 289
- Index 309
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
-
Part I. Conceptualisations of text and framing phenomena
- Chapter 1. Framing framing 3
- Chapter 2. On the dynamic interaction between peritext and epitext 33
- Chapter 3. The footnote in Late Modern English historiographical writing 63
- Chapter 4. Threshold-switching 91
- Chapter 5. Framing material in early literacy 115
-
Part II. Framing and audience orientation
- Chapter 6. Paratext and ideology in 17th-century news genres 137
- Chapter 7. “All which I offer with my own experience” 163
- Chapter 8. “I write not to expert practitioners, but to learners” 187
- Chapter 9. Book producers’ comments on text-organisation in early 16th-century English printed paratexts 209
-
Part III. Form and layout in framing
- Chapter 10. Paratextual features in 18th-century medical writing 233
- Chapter 11. Recuperating Older Scots in the early 18th century 267
- Chapter 12. Paratext, information studies, and Middle English manuscripts 289
- Index 309
