Home History Chapter 1. Text and Paratext in the Greek Classical Tradition
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Chapter 1. Text and Paratext in the Greek Classical Tradition

  • Glenn W. Most
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Impagination – Layout and Materiality of Writing and Publication
This chapter is in the book Impagination – Layout and Materiality of Writing and Publication

Abstract

This chapter explores the relations between the material of papyrus, the format of the roll, and the layout of sporadic marginal paratexts on the one hand, and the material of parchment, the format of the codex, and the layout of comprehensive marginal paratexts on the other. It considers some of the spatial and temporal complexities that are involved in a traditional form of layout in the Western tradition in which a centrally situated text is accompanied by surrounding paratextual materials (e.g., commentary, critical apparatus, translation, footnotes, etc.). It then goes on to examine the development in modes of impagination from early ancient Greek and Roman layouts on papyrus and in rolls to late ancient ones on parchment and in codices, and asks to what extent the specific nature of the materiality of these bearers of the texts and paratexts might have played a role in this development. It argues that instead greater importance should be attributed to psychological aspects and social practices of reading than to the materials themselves. The chapter concludes with reflections on challenges and opportunities that philology currently faces.

Abstract

This chapter explores the relations between the material of papyrus, the format of the roll, and the layout of sporadic marginal paratexts on the one hand, and the material of parchment, the format of the codex, and the layout of comprehensive marginal paratexts on the other. It considers some of the spatial and temporal complexities that are involved in a traditional form of layout in the Western tradition in which a centrally situated text is accompanied by surrounding paratextual materials (e.g., commentary, critical apparatus, translation, footnotes, etc.). It then goes on to examine the development in modes of impagination from early ancient Greek and Roman layouts on papyrus and in rolls to late ancient ones on parchment and in codices, and asks to what extent the specific nature of the materiality of these bearers of the texts and paratexts might have played a role in this development. It argues that instead greater importance should be attributed to psychological aspects and social practices of reading than to the materials themselves. The chapter concludes with reflections on challenges and opportunities that philology currently faces.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. List of Figures VII
  4. List of Tables XIII
  5. List of Contributors XV
  6. Introduction 1
  7. I Slips, Scrolls, and Leaves: Before the Codex
  8. Chapter 1. Text and Paratext in the Greek Classical Tradition 23
  9. Chapter 2. Tabernacles of Text: A Brief Visual History of the Hebrew Bible 47
  10. Chapter 3. Impagination, Reading, and Interpretation in Early Chinese Texts 93
  11. Chapter 4. Sūtra Text in Pecha Format: Page Layout of the Tibetan Vimalakīrtinirdeśa 111
  12. Chapter 5. Between the Lines and in the Margins: Linguistic Change and Impagination Practices in South Asia 151
  13. II The Printed World
  14. Chapter 6. The Margin as Canvas: A Forgotten Function of the Early Printed Page 185
  15. Chapter 7. Page Layout and the Complex Semiotic System of Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Chosŏn’s Samganghaengsildo 209
  16. Chapter 8. The Transformation of the Typical Page in the Handpress Era in the Southern Netherlands, 1473–c. 1800 237
  17. Chapter 9. Writer’s Block or Printer’s Block: The Book and Its Openings in Early Modern China 273
  18. Chapter 10. Placing Texts on Chinese Pages: From Bamboo Slips to Printed Paper 301
  19. Chapter 11. Recovering Translation Lost: Symbiosis and Ambilingual Design in Chinese/Manchu Language Reference Manuals of the Qing Dynasty 323
  20. Chapter 12. Japanophone Glosses (kunten) in Printed and Digitized Manuscripts 351
  21. III Beyond the Book
  22. Chapter 13. Beyond the Physical Page: Latest Practice of Scientific Publication 377
  23. Index 399
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110698756-002

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. List of Figures VII
  4. List of Tables XIII
  5. List of Contributors XV
  6. Introduction 1
  7. I Slips, Scrolls, and Leaves: Before the Codex
  8. Chapter 1. Text and Paratext in the Greek Classical Tradition 23
  9. Chapter 2. Tabernacles of Text: A Brief Visual History of the Hebrew Bible 47
  10. Chapter 3. Impagination, Reading, and Interpretation in Early Chinese Texts 93
  11. Chapter 4. Sūtra Text in Pecha Format: Page Layout of the Tibetan Vimalakīrtinirdeśa 111
  12. Chapter 5. Between the Lines and in the Margins: Linguistic Change and Impagination Practices in South Asia 151
  13. II The Printed World
  14. Chapter 6. The Margin as Canvas: A Forgotten Function of the Early Printed Page 185
  15. Chapter 7. Page Layout and the Complex Semiotic System of Fifteenth- and Sixteenth-Century Chosŏn’s Samganghaengsildo 209
  16. Chapter 8. The Transformation of the Typical Page in the Handpress Era in the Southern Netherlands, 1473–c. 1800 237
  17. Chapter 9. Writer’s Block or Printer’s Block: The Book and Its Openings in Early Modern China 273
  18. Chapter 10. Placing Texts on Chinese Pages: From Bamboo Slips to Printed Paper 301
  19. Chapter 11. Recovering Translation Lost: Symbiosis and Ambilingual Design in Chinese/Manchu Language Reference Manuals of the Qing Dynasty 323
  20. Chapter 12. Japanophone Glosses (kunten) in Printed and Digitized Manuscripts 351
  21. III Beyond the Book
  22. Chapter 13. Beyond the Physical Page: Latest Practice of Scientific Publication 377
  23. Index 399
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 26.2.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110698756-002/html
Scroll to top button