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Chapter Four
Elements of Paratext
categorize the various elements of the "paratext." The book is divided into fifteen chapters,
consisting of an introduction, thirteen chapters on the various elements of the "paratext" and
lastly a conclusion. In this chapter I shall discuss all the elements of the "para text" as
Genette deals with them. Therefore, I have reported verbatim all the phrases and coinages
and sometimes even the examples Genette has used. In fact, this chapter is for the most part
a succinct summary of Paratexts. Hence, much of the thoughts and ideas contained in this
Though my project focuses on the importance of "paratexts" only in the reading and
features as Genette lists them. This I do to highlight and underline the theoretical potential
Genette does not trace the history of the evolution of the elements of the "paratext."
But while he discusses each element of the "paratext" he also gives us a brief description of
the historical process through which each element passed in the course of its evolution into
its recent fOims. However, the approach is primarily synchronic and not diachronic in
nature. In this chapter 1 will only list the elements of the "paratext" and will not attempt
their elaborate description. As a result, whenever the details are not very impo11ant for our
present discussion, I will mention them in passing. My attempt is only to highlight the
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range and scope of Genette's Paratexts. I have also extended the scope of the term
"paratext" to one more area of study like the "thresholds" that border dramatic works.
Being an excellent taxonomist, Genette has extended and ramified the concept of
the "paratext" into several elements. Genette has not only listed the several elements of the
"paratext" (title, subtitles, preface, foreword, introduction, notes, etc.) but has also sub-
divided "paratexts" into several types like authorial or "autographic", "allographic," and
"actorial;" "original," "later," and "delayed;" and "anthumous" and "posthumous." This
formalist and structuralist standpoint, but he is well aware of the loopholes that such
welt
topological charting has in itself. Genette knows ,~vrlre;~ that none of the elements or (vpes
of "paratexts" are rigid or fixed categories but that they are flexible entities. Genette names
and classifies them with mathematical precision for the convenience of readers.
"autographic." Similarly, a "paratext" supplied by a "third person" (the critic or editor, for
from the fictive world of the text) supplies a "paratext," Genette calls it an "actorial
paratext. "
If a "para text" appears in the original edition (first publication) of a work of art, then
Genette calls such a "paratext" an "original paratext." But if a "paratext" appears only in
"paratext" is written by an author and comes out alongside the text during his/her lifetime
then Genette calls it "anthumous paratext." But if a "paratext" written by an author comes
out after the death of the author then Genette names it "posthumous para text. " Most
/
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"paratexts" occur before the text, at the beginning of a book. Genette calls all such
"paratexts" "preludial" because they are introductory in nature. But if a "paratext" comes
after the text and at the end of a book, Genette then calls it "postludial paratext."
Genette lists the different elements of the "paratext" in the order in which they
usually appear when we open a book. He begins with such "paratexts" which are the
direct outcome of the process of publication, the facts which render a text into a tangible
0..
and marketable product ~book).
I. The Publisher's Peritext: Genette gives the name "publisher's peritext" to the
whole zone of the "peri text" that is the direct and principal responsibility of the pub Iisher -
that is, the zone that exists merely by the fact that a book is published. Genette here deals
with the outermost "peritext" (the cover, the title page, and their several appendages) and
with the book's material construction (the selection of format, paper, or typeface), which is
executed by the typesetter and printer but always decided by the publisher in consultation
with the author. All these technical givens, however, come under the domain of bibliologv,
but Genette's specific concern is only with the "paratextual" value of such elements. He
says that the "peritextual paratext" is of a relatively recent historical peliod, beginning with
the invention of printing and the growth and development of the publishing industry in the
modern age.
Formats: It is connected with the manner of folding the paper or the size of the
book. Hard cover, paperback,. pocket size etc. are some of the most popular fOlmats.
Genette says that the pocket edition will long be synonymous with canonization of an
author and the work. Pocket format, therefore, is itself an impOliant "paratextual" message.
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Series: The "series," Genette says, is the publisher's emblem, a requirement of big
publishers to demonstrate and control the diversification of their activities. The "series"
indicates to the potential reader the type of work, if not the gem-e, one is dealing with:
of the publisher but it is imposed on the prerogatives of the author. The author has little or
no freedom in this regard, who perhaps never imagined getting fixed into some generic
frames, who perhaps considered himself an essayist but ended up being a sociologist,
The cover and its appendages: The "publisher's pelitext" also includes the outer
cover of a book, the "title page" and its vatious appendages. It presents to the public (at
large) and to the reader (in particular) many other items of infOlmation, some of which are
authorial and some of which are the responsibilities of the publisher. The "cover" and its
"appendages" may be very important to the prospective buyer who may decide to buy the
Genette says that the printed cover, usually made of paper or board, is a fairly recent
phenomenon and seems to date from the early nineteenth century. He draws up a basic list
of what generally appears on a cover. He says that all these possibilities have never been
exploited at one and the same time and that nowadays the only obligatory items are the
"name of the author," the "title" of the work, the emblem of the publisher, and the date or
publication of the book. Some of the items that can figure in the Cover J (front cover) are
the "name or pseudonym of the author(s)", "title(s)" of the author(s), "title(s)" of the work,
responsible for establishing the text and preparing the critical apparatus, "dedication,"
"epigraph," facsimile of the author's signature, specific illustration, name and/or colophon
of the series, name of the person(s) responsible for this series, mention of the original
edition in the case of a reprint, name or trade name and/or initials and/or colophon of the
publisher, address of the publisher; number of printings, or "editions," date, price, etc.
Genette thinks that these localized verbal, numerical, or iconographic items of infonnation
are of greater concern for the bibliographers than the "paratextualist." These are again
supplemented by more comprehensive ones pertaining to the style or design of the cover,
"Cover 2 and 3," the inside front and back covers remain generally mute, but there
may be some exceptions, for instance, in magazines where publisher'S infOlmation often
appears. "Cover 4," the back cover, is another important spot. It contains the reminder of
the author's name and the title of the book; biographical and/or bibliographical notice; press
same publishing house; genre indication; series statement of principles, or intent; date of
printing; number of replinting; mention of the cover's printer; mention of the designer of
the cover art; identification of the cover illustration; price; ISBN (International Standard
Book Number); magnetic bar code; paid advertisement, etc. The "spine" is also of obvious
strategic importance. It generally bears the name of the author, the colophon of the
publisher, and the "title" of the work. It can have either horizontal or vertical printing. The
"cover" is sometimes clothed with a new "paratextual" support: the "dust jacket" (or
wrapper) or the "band." These are detachable, used as poster and as protection.
lIS
The "title page" and its "appendages" are also part of the publisher's "paratext." The
typesetting and the choice of the paper are also important. The typesetting - the choice of a
particular typeface and its arrangement on the page - is the art that shapes a text into a
printed book. Typographical choices often provide indirect commentary on the text. The
II. The Name of the Author: Genette says that putting the name of the author in the
"paratext" is of comparatively recent origin. The twin notions of an author's originality and
individuality assume importance only with the inclusion of the name of the author in the
format of a book. Unlike medieval authors, modem post-Renaissance authors tend more
and more to think of their writing as an expression and sometimes even an extension of
their individuality. Indeed, the notion of personal authorship and the appearance of the
author's name on the book slhe had written had no real significance in the Middle Ages
where works, stories, poems, etc. were more likely to be seen as part of a collective
expression of an individual point of view but an expression of the general outlook, the
product of the culture at large. As a result, the concept of plagiarism was vi11ually
unknown. In the modem society, plagiarism, however, is a serious crime against propelty
fictive) in the "peritext," but in the classical period this was not the case. The "paratextual"
site of the author's name is very erratic and inconsistent. Erratic as the appearance of the
"title" of the work, the name of the author may appear anywhere in the "epitext," in
etc. Its appearance in the "peritext" is restricted only to a few places as the canonical and
official site of the author's name is in practice limited to the "title page" and the cover
(Cover 1, with possible reminders on the spine and Cover 4). The author's name appears
Most often, the name of the author appears with the first edition and in later editions
as well. The original recording of the author's name should be "definitive," except when
the initial attribution is wrong and is later corrected in subsequent editions. There is no
universal norm to designate the author's name and there are diverse ways to do it. The
name of the author can appear in three main conditions with many intermediate states.
Either the author signs with his real name ("onymity") as is most often the case in modern
times. The author can also resort to a false name ("pseudonymity"), for instance, Rabelais's
Sometimes, the author does not sign at all (anonymity), as in the case in Swift's A Tale of (/
Tub.
An author prefers "onymity" when he has already established fame. Under the rules
of "onymity," the name of the author is the name of whoever is putatively responsible for
the work, whatever his real role in producing it. In other words, as already stated earlier,
"paratextual" indication of the name of the author is only a matter of legal responsibility
rather than factual authorship. "Onymity" also helps indicate the sex of the author (which
may have crucial thematic relevance), and the author's nationality or social class, and for
female authors, the surname may determine their marital status, their existential or
ideological preferences.
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Genette says that the author's name also fulfills a contractual function whose
importance varies from genre to genre - slight or nonexistent in fictional works and much
the credibility of the evidence depends much upon the identity of the witness or the person
reporting it. "Anonymity" is "degree zero," but even then it has imp0l1ant semiotic and
measure against libel suits. But the author is not always the sender of his name; the
publisher can also do it. This is what distinguishes the act of putting a name on the cover or
"title page" (usually done by the publisher) from the act of signing the text by the author
himself.
We know that when A Tale of a Tub, with its queer title, first appeared in 1704
without the name of the author, it created a lot of sensation in London. Readers started
guessing at the identity of the author. Some hinted at Sir William Temple while others
pointed to Lord Somers. It was only six years later that Swift divulged the secret and came
out into the open in the Postscript to the Apology written in 1710, claiming the entire book
as his own and challenging any person to prove "his claim to three lines in the whole book"
(23). Swift's anonymous publication of the Tale was, perhaps, in keeping with his LlsLlal
name of the author that is not his legal and real name. There can be various fonl1s of
It is ,however, less popular with musicians, painters or architects. One imp0l1ant f0l111 and
practice of the use of pseudonym is, Genette calls, "apocrypha:" the real author's fallacious
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Darkness, Ulysses, The Rainbow, while more recent novelists favour riddles for their titles
such as The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, The Heart of the Matter, Free Fall, etc.
The titling of a fictional work is an imp0I1ant part of the creative process. Charles
Dickens, for instance, jotted down fourteen possible "titles" for the serial-novel Hard Times
in 1854: According to Cocker, Prove It, Stubborn Things, Mr. Gradgrind's Facts, The
Grindstone, Hard Times, Two and Two are Four, Something Tangible, Our Hard-hearted
Friend, Rust and Dust, Simple Arithmetic, A Matter of Calculation, A Mere Question of
Figures, The Gradgrind Philosophy. All these "titles" show how Dickens was concerned
with highlighting the central theme of utilitarianism in his novel, as incarnated by Mr.
Gradgrind. Dickens' ultimate choice of Hard Times is consistent with the broader social
The "title" raises problems of definition and requires careful analysis. Improving
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upon the debates of Leo Hoek and Claude Duchet, Genette comes up with three terms:
"title," "subtitle," and "genre indication." Genette says that the "title" and the "subtitle"
define the "form" of the work of art, say a novel or a poem, while the "genre indication" is
more specialized and pinpointed and defines the function of the work of ali. Genetic says
that only the first element is obligatory and the others exist with variolls combinations -
For centuries the "title" had no special site (or "place") reserved for it. Unless the
opening lines and the closing lines of the text itself mentioned the "title," the "title" was
competence. In the present scheme of things, the "title" has four possible locations: the
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front cover, the spine, the title page, and the half-title page. The "title" is often repeated on
the back cover andlor as the running head, that is, along the tops of all the pages, a position
it may share with the "intertitles." The "time" of the "title's" appearance can vary from
book to book. It can be "anthumous" or "posthumous." The publisher or the editor can give
it. Both the author and the publisher always share the responsibility for the "title." The
titular situation of communication comprises a message (the "title" itself), a sender and an
addressee.
The "title" performs many functions - it identifies the work, it designates the work's
subject matter, and it entices the targeted public. The first of these functions is obligatory;
the remaining two are optional or supplementary. The first function can be fulfilled by a
semantically empty "title" (e.g. The Name of the Rose) that does not indicate the subject
matter. These functions are not set forth in any hierarchical order. The semantic
)
relationship between the "title" and the subject matter is variable, ranging fi'om the most
ambiguous and symbolic relationship between the "title" and the text (Heart of Darkness,
The Grapes of Wrath). Besides indicating the actual or symbolic subject matter of the work
the "title" may also indicate the genre or fom1 (Odes. Elegies. Sonnets. Novellas). Genette
describes "titles" which indicate the subject matter as "thematic," and "titles" which
Genette finds Hoek's semantic distinction of "subjectal titles" (which designate the
"subject of the text") and "objectal" titles (which refer to the text itself or designate the text
as object) somewhat confusing and modifies them into "thematic" (what one talkS about)
and "rhematic" (what one says about it) respectively. There is one more category - "mixed
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titles," containing two clearly distinct elements, one "rhematic" (most often indicating
genre) and one "thematic." Hume's Treatise of Human Nature or Locke's Essay
Concerning Human Understanding are good examples. All these "titles" begin by
designating the genre and, therefore, the text and then go on to designate the theme. This
formula was popular in the classical period with respect to theoretical works. Over the
years some of the "titles" have been shortened and have lost their "rhematic" element.
Genette describes the shared function of the "thematic" and "rhematic" as the
"descriptive" function of the "title." He names the secondary semantic efTects that
supplement equally well the "thematic" or "rhematic" nature of the primary description as
"connotative" because they arise from the manner in which the "thematic" or "rhematic
title" does its denotation. The "title" also indicates the "genre indication." This attribute is
more or less optional and autonomous, depending upon the period or the genre. It is
The "title" can control the reading process by telling the reader what the subject
IS. The "title" also attempts to caption the entire canvas of the novel or the work of art.
The experience of reading a novel is on a very large scale, and therefore, the initial
instructions that the "title" gives to the reader are submerged in the actual reading of the
novel. The "title" of a short lyric may control the intense, brief experience of reading, but
the "title" at the threshold of the novel seldom reveals its full impOltance until we reach
the end of the novel. The "title" of the novel is, therefore,better seen as an instruction on
how to look back on the reading experience and how to organize and structure the reading
and understanding of the novel. Examples of this kind of "title" could be novels as
radically different from each other as Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, which sums up
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our gradual discovery as we read the novel, or Kazia Ishaguro's The Remains of the Day.
This kind of captioning function of the "title" operates not only in the case of complex
"titles" like the ones mentioned above but also simpler ones like Pride and Prejudice and
The Return of the Native. Summing up with the words of Marie Maclean:
... the title is a vital spatial element in any text. It is marked ofl
marker, a sign of territory and at the same time a liminal experience. The
title exemplifies that relationship between the spatial and the visual which
IV. The Please-insert: The "please-insert" is very popular in France. It is also very
difficult to discuss its historical development. It is generally printed on the cover and may
be equated with the "blurb." The classic definition of the "please-inselt" in the Petit Robert
dictionary is narrow and describes only one of its stages, the one that was typical in the tirst
half of the century: "A printed insert that contains information about a work and is attached
to the copies addressed to the critics" (as cited in Genette, 1997: 104). Genette extends the
short text describing, by means of a summary or in some other way, and most often in a
value-enhancing manner, the work to which it refers and to which, for a good half-century,
it has been joined in one way or another. Sometimes, it is just an eulogistic remark or
quotation from a critic. The "please-insert" spares the critic the need to read the work in its
entirety, or the work may be of such a nature that simply reading it would not unfold its
meaning. The "please-insert" infom1s critics about the sOl1 of work they are dealing with
"Please-insert" refers to an earlier practice in the nineteenth century when it was not
addressed to the critics but to the press in general, in the fOlm of a press-release meant to
announce a work's publication. The newspaper received an already written piece of news
and the publisher received an advertisement. It was what we would now call a "press-note"
or "press-release." There is thus a transfer from the "extra-textual" or extra literary "epitext"
V. Dedications and Inscriptions: The word "dedication" has evolved from the
French noun "dedicace" which designates two related practices. Both practices consist of
offering the work as a token of esteem to a person. But while one of these practices
involves the materiality of a single copy and endorses the gift or sale of that copy, the other
involves the ideal reality of the work itself, the possession of which can be symbolic. The
French nouns are identical, but the verbs distinguish these actions: "dedier" (to dedicate) for
the action which involves the work, "dedicacer" (to inscribe) for the action that involves the
copy. Genette excludes from the definition those works that are entirely addressed to
specific addressees such as epistles, certain odes or hymns, elegies, lyrics, etc. all of which
are genres in which the text and its "dedication" are consubstantial. For example,
with remuneration expected or some kind of protection. The "dedication" at times infringes
on the telTitory of the "preface." Like the "title," the "dedication" also has a "place" (site
within the book) and "time" (of appearance). Since the sixteenth century, the canonical site
of the "dedication" has been the head of the book, and today more precisely, on the first
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right-hand page after the "title page." The canonical time for the "dedication" to appear is
Genette also distinguishes between the "dedication and "inscription" of the copy - a
distinction between the work and the copy. A work in multiple copies (say, three thousand)
can be dedicated to a single person, and each of its copies can be inscribed to three thousand
different persons. Like the "dedication," the "inscription" too has a "place" (or site) and a
"time" (of appearing). Like the "dedication" which has a "dedicator" and a "dedicatee," the
"inscription" also has an "inscriber and an "inscribee," Unlike the "dedicatee," the
"insclibee" must be a real person (and cannot be a symbolic one) like the owner of the book
and a potential reader. The "inscription" is always confidential and not public like the
"dedication. "
VI. Epigraphs: Genette defines the "epigraph" roughly as a quotation placed "en
exergue" (which means in the "exergue"), generally at the head of a work or any section of
a work. Literally, "en exergue" means "ojj" the work or more appropriately the text. Here
the "exergue" is at the edge of the work, generally closest to the text, thus following the
"dedication" if there is one, but before the "preface." Hence is the metonymy of "exergue"
for "epigraph." Genette says that the metonymy is not happy. Like the "title," "dedication"
or "inscription," the "epigraph" has an allotted "place" and "time." Genette calls the author
of the "epigraph" (the quoted text) the "epigraphed," the person who chooses it the
"epigrapher" and the reader of the text the "epigraphee." The "epigraph" is most often
"allographic," that is, an author who is not the author of the work (which makes it a
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authorial or one of many other variants. The "authorial epigraphs," accepted by authors as
their own, belong to the authorial discourse, and, therefore, their function is like that of a
succinct "preface." The "epigraph" has an "epigraphee," sometimes the "nalTatee" of the
text, but it is usually the reader. It can also be the "dedicatee" of the book when it is tied to
the "dedication."
One important function of the "epigraph" is that of commenting on the "title." The
second function is more canonical, that of commenting on the text. The third function is an
oblique one: the quote from a famous writer or personality could enhance the status of the
work. The fourth powerful effect of the "epigraph" is its very presence: the presence of the
VII. The Preface: The "preface" is perhaps the most important and useful of all
"paratext." Even Genette has used the term "paratext" while he actually meant "preface"
or any of its variants. The point is that the "preface" orients the reading and
interpretation of a literary text; it also serves the most important functions of "paratext" -
that of commenting or introducing or providing unity to the text, as the case may be.
Genette uses the tenn "preface" to designate every type of introductory ("preludial"
produced on the subject of the text that follows or precedes it. The "preface" is more of a
formal and circumstantial requirement. It is different from the "introduction:" while the
"preface" is necessitated by the fact that a book is published, the "introduction" which
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follows the "preface" is more intimately connected to the subject of the text. Jacques
Derrida points out the difference with respect to the Hegelian "paratext:"
The preface must be distinguished from the introduction. They do not have
the same function, nor even the same dignity, in Hegel's eyes, even though
historical, less circumstantial link with the logic of the book. It is unique; it
on the other hand, are multiplied from edition to edition and take into
The "preface," like all other "paratextual" elements, has a "time" and "place." The author
(or sender) of the "preface" can be the author (real or putative), the "authorial" or
"autographic preface." The alleged author of the "preface" can also be one of the characters
in the action, the "actorial preface;" or it can be written by a wholly different third person,
the "allographic preface." The "preface" may be attributed to a real or fictive person. If any
other "paratextual" sign confirms the attribution to a real person, then it is the "authentic
preface;" but if any other "paratextual" sign invalidates the attribution to a real person, then
And if the person to whom the "preface" is attributed is fictive, the preface is "fictive" (a
easier - it is the reader of the text. But the "preface" (as also the book) can also be
functions in the reading and interpretation of the text. The most important function of the
"original preface" is that of providing the authorial interpretation on the text, or his
statement of intent. The "original preface" may inform the reader about the origin of the
work, the sources and the circumstances in which it was written and the stages of its
creation. The "original preface's" chief function is to ensure that the text is read properly.
It comprises two actions - to get the book read and to get the book read properly. The
"preface" performs one more important function - that of providing unity to different texts
clubbed together, for instance in the case of a collection of essays. It gives a unifying
labelling or commentary (of subject, method, or form) to the work. The genre that most
insistently calls for a unifying "preface" is the collection of critical essays or studies,
because this kind of collection is known for the diversity of its subjects.
Since the nineteenth century the "preface's" functions of enhancing the work's
value have been somewhat overshadowed by the function of providing information and
guidance for reading the work. The "preface" also determines the choice of the public - the
particular kind of readership the book is written for. The "preface" is also a commentary on
the "title," especially when the "title" is allusive or enigmatic. Commentary on the "title"
may also serve to explain why a "title" was changed from what was advertised or what it
had been in the serial pUblication. Commentary on the "title" may also serve as a kind of
delayed repentance on the "title." Finally, commentary on the "title" may be a warning
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against, and therefore, a sort of partial correction of the misleading suggestions of the
"title. "
Nowadays, the function of commenting on the "title" has been transferred to the
"please-insert." Until recently, the "preface" (for instance, of numerous classical works)
also reminded the reader not to seek real life models in the characters or situations. But the
form used most frequently is borrowed from a practice customary in film, is that of a
separate notice of this type: "The characters and situations in this narrative are wholly
fictitious and any resemblance to real persons and situations is purely coincidental." Such a
notice has a legal function, for it aims to avoid libel suits - an instance of a real contract of
fiction.
The "preface" sometimes informs the reader (to clarify the "table of contents")
about the order of the material in the book. For instance, in Hopscotch, Cortazar gives
instructions to the reader about the order the book is to be read. Genette says that Balzac
did not rely solely on the monitory force of "prefaces" and that within the text itself he
increased the number of asides (quite similar to "incorporated paratexts") refelTing from one
novel to another. Sometimes, the author may publish a work that in his mind constitutes a
part of a whole still in progress and that will acquire its full significance only in this
context-to-come, of which the public still has no idea. This is a typically Balzacian
situation. The provisional "original preface" alel1s the reader to the temporary situation and
gives him some idea of what lies ahead. Finally, some authors take advantage of the
Genette speaks of several types of "prefaces" - most imp0l1ant among them are the
shaky situation of communication: the author is offering the reader an advance commentary
on a text the reader has not yet read. Consequently many readers prefer to read the
"preface" after the text. This should lead the author to offer a "postface" instead, whereby
slhe could speak at length on his subject knowing that both sides were fully informed.
However, the original "postface" is a rarity. Placed as it is at the end of the book and
addressed to a reader who is no longer potential but actual, the "post face" cenainly makes
The "postface," however, is much less effective, for it can no longer perfonn the
two main functions of the "preface:" that of holding the reader's interest and guiding him by
explaining why and how he should read the text. If the first function is not fulfilled, the
reader will perhaps have an opportunity to reach a possible "postface;" if the second
function is not fulfilled, it will perhaps be too late for the author to rectify "in extremis" a
bad reading that has already been completed. Given the "postface's" location and type of
discourse, it can perfonn a corrective function. But most authors think the difficulties of the
"preface" are preferable to this final corrective. At the cost of these flaws, the "preface" is
There is one more category: the "later preface." In a work's subsequent editions the
author addresses new readers by adding to that later edition a "preface" that is "later" in date
but "original" for these new readers, to whom the author would tell the tale that, for one
reason or another, he had originally thought could be omitted. The first minor function of
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the '.'later preface" consists in calling attention to the corrections, matelial or other, made in
the new edition. In the classical period, when it was not common to correct proofs, Oliginal
editions were usually inaccurate. The second edition, therefore, gives the opportunity for
or "testamentary preface," like the "later preface," may fulfill the function of compensating
for omissions from an earlier "preface" or for the omission of the earlier "preface" itself.
The "delayed preface" is generally the final "preface." The first function of the "delayed
preface" is autobiographical. The "delayed preface" also helps the author to accommodate
his newly evolved ideas after the first publication of his work. The "delayed preface" ofone
(these are generally posthumous). The "allographic preface" performs two imp0l1ant
functions: providing information about the text and high praise or recommendation of the
text. Providing information about the creation of text is characteristic of the "posthumous
interpretation, consists of situating the presented text within the context of the author's
oeuvre or within the broader context of a genre or the literature or the period. The other
of the "allographic preface" clearly brings it at the border that separates the "para text"
the
from the "metatext" and, more concretely,.("preface" from critical essay. This proximity
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r
of the "allographic preface" to the critical essay is particularly noticeable in "posthumous
Fictional prefaces: The "fictional preface" is playful in nature, in that the reader is
not expected to take the alleged status of the sender seriously. "Authentic," "fictive," and
"apocryphal prefaces" are all fictional in the sense that they all offer a manifestly false
people and institutions that, in various ways, helped the author produce his book - with
infonnation, advice, criticism, typing, moral or financial support, etc. - all these things
"paratextual" element.
VIII. Intertitles or chapter titles: "Intertitles" or chapter titles are important because
(
( I
they mark the beginning of a new chapter in a narrative text. Without the use of
"intertitles," the different chapters will merge into one another. "Intertitles" may be
interpretive or meaningfully relevant to the chapter they label, but most importantly they
divide and segregate a long text into parts for the convenience of the readers. "Inteltitles"
chapters, or even just blank spaces, but even then, they help punctuate the text into
meaningful units. In a long text going up to several hundred pages, there must be several
breaks in the narrative because of shifts in time, action, place and point of view in the
The novels of Daniel Defoe are continuous and uninte1T1.lpted naITative discourses.
This is very much evident in Moll Flanders. It is often difficult to conjecture whether
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way naIve, unprofessional narrators record their life histories without any professional
touch of a preconceived plan or plot. Whatever the reason behind such a narrative style,
the reading experience is very tiring and it is very difficult for the reader to remember the
details of Moll's life and adventures till the end of the story.
"Intertitles," or internal titles, are therefore titles which are generally scattered
throughout the work. Since they are interspersed in the work, they usually escape the notice
of the general public and are likely to be read only by the reader of the text. Again,
"intertitles" are by no means absolutely necessary. They are not indispensable to the
The "intertitle" is the "title" of a section of a book. Therefore, in unitary texts (an
undivided text), these sections may be parts, chapters, or paragraphs; in collections, they
constitute poems, novellas, or essays. In some types of texts which are oral in nature such
as speeches, dialogues or plays it is hard to indicate the presence of "intertitles." The case of
dramatic works is the most meaningful for the traditional divisions. Mute in pcrforl1lnncc,
"intertitular" devices have in published form a sort of minimal, or purely thematic, titling
Certain genres, such as the epistolary novel, the journal, the travel naITative, usunlly
do away with the "inte11itles." The presence of "intertitles" is possible, but not obligatory in
unitary works divided into parts, chapters, and in most types of collections. In collections
of novellas, "intertitles" may be obligatory, for their absence would make it seem like a
continuous narrative. However, the distinction between "titles" and "inte11itles" is less
Genette discusses in detail the "intertitular" apparatus in four major genres: fictional
further says that the "intertitle" can both be "thematic" and "rhematic," or purely
"designative," (which consists simply of numbering the divisions or leaving them altogether
mute).
Table of contents, running heads: There are three potential locations of the
"intertitles:" in the head of a section, in the running heads and in the "table of contents."
Running heads may serve as reminders, at the top of the page and sometimes in
abbreviated form, of the general "title" of the work (if they are on the left) and (if on the
right) of the "title" of the section, generally the chapter. The "table of contents" is also a
IX. Notes: "Notes" are clearly at the borders that SUlTound the transitional field
of the "paratext." It may also be said that "notes" may remain outside the purview of a
reader, if the reader does not at all deem it necessary to refer to the "notes." The strategic
genre whose occurrences are by definition irregular, divided up, and so closely connected to
a given detail of a text that they have no autonomous significance. In fact, "notes" are a
special kind of "paratext" because they do not have any independent status but exist only as
complementary messages, which are however, very important in the reading of difficult
literary texts. For instance, a poetical text like Eliot's The Wasteland needs to be
length - just a word sometimes - connected to a more or less definite segment of text and
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either placed opposite or keyed to this segment. The always-paliial character of the text
being refelTed to, and,therefore, the always-local character of the statement conveyed in a
"note," is the most remarkable formal feature of this "paratextual" element, a feature that
contrasts the "note" with the "preface." But the formal distinction between the "note" and
"preface" reveals an affinity of function: in many cases, the discourse of the "preface" and
that of the "notes" are in a very close relation of continuity and homogeneity. This relation
is particularly evident in the later editions of a text. A single discourse is divided between
the "preface" and "notes," the "preface" dealing with general considerations and the "notes"
The "notes" can occupy several positions with respect to the text: it can surround the
whole of the text, or sometimes embellished in various ways, with explanations written in
smaller letters. Side "notes" or marginal "notes," appear in shorter forms and are appended
to more definite segments of the text. In the eighteenth century, it was customary to place
the "notes" at the bottom of the page. But our present-day practice remains more varied.
"Notes" are still placed in the margins, between the lines, at the end of a chapter or a book,
or in a special volume. Francis Ponge mentions a Bible in which the "notes" occuPY a
middle column between two columns of text. Scientific practice often involves a two-tiered
reference apparatus in which the "notes" at the bottom of the page refer concisely, by name
and date, to a bibliography at the end of the volume. It is also possible to keep the right-
hand page for the text and put the "notes" on the facing left-hand page. Finally, nothing
precludes the coexistence of several systems in a single book: short "notes" at the bottom of
the page, more detailed ones at the end of the chapter or volume, and very often, in
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scholarly editions, author's "note" at the bottom of the page and editor's "notes" at the end
of the volume.
The most common practice consists of putting "callouts" in the text, using one or
another system (numbers, letters, or symbols) and pegging each "note" to the text by
repeating the identifying marker or mentioning one of the text's words or lines. But
marginal "notes," placed opposite the textual segment in question, easily dispense with such
pegging, and even "notes" with "callouts" may in their relevance extend beyond the word or
phrase to which the "callout" is attached. References at the end of a paragraph may bear on
the entire paragraph, or a "note" bearing on an entire chapter or article may be pegged to the
first sentence or to the "title." Finally, "notes" at the end of a chapter, without a "callout" in
the text and supplied with headings of key phrases from the text, may bear more or less
three-fold temporal distribution: "original notes" for the first edition (the most common
example), "later notes" for the second edition, and "delayed notes." Sometimes, too, "notes"
disappear from one edition to another. Sometimes, "notes" from various periods coexist,
Senders, addressees: The chart of possible senders of "notes" is the same as the
chart of senders of "prefaces." There are "assumptive authorial notes," the most common
ones, such as the "notes" to Tom Jones; and there are "disavowing authorial notes." There
are "authentic allographic notes:" all "notes" by editors in critical editions, or "notes" by
translators. "Authentic actorial notes" are the "notes" contributed to a biography or critical
study by the person who is its subject. There can as well be "fictive authorial notes,"
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"fictive allographic notes," and "fictive actorial" notes. The "addressee" of the "notes" is
undoubtedly the reader of the book. However, "notes" are optional for the reader and may
Given the discursive nature of "notes" and their intimate relation to the text, Genette also
introduces a new distinction: between "notes" connected with texts that are themselves
discursive (history, essays) and "notes" of narrative or dramatic fiction or lyric poetry.
Discursive texts, original notes: The "original note" to a discursive text is the basic
types
and common type from which all other.(, derive to a greater or lesser degree. They provide
definitions and terms used in the text. Translations of quotations that appear in the text in
the original language, and vice versa, and references for quotations, indications of sources,
documents, explaining complexities in the "notes" that the author did not explain in the text
considering them unlikely to interest the common reader, etc. are some of the functions of
these "notes." The "original note" is a local digression in the text and as such it belongs to
the text as much as a simple parenthesis does. This kind of "note" is in an undefined tl-inge
between the text and the "paratext." While other types of "notes" belong to the "paratext,"
" the "original note" belongs more to the text, which it extends, ramifies, and modulates
Discursive texts, later notes: It is another matter with the "later" or "delayed notes"
of the discursive text: their relations of continuity with the accompanying "preface" are
generally very prominent. While the "original preface" comments on the text and the
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"notes" extend and modulate it, the "later" or "delayed preface" comments on the text taken
as a whole, and the "notes" of the same date extend and explain this "preface" in detail by
commenting on the particulars of the text; and on the strength of this function of
commenting, such "notes" clearly belong to the domain of the "paratext." The function of
this localized commentary is generally identical (except for its points of application) to that
"tc..tf.Y
of "prefaces" of the same occasion: the "later notes" and1\ preface" perfonn the function of
Discursive texts, delayed notes: The "delayed note" is a slightly more canonical and
more fertile genre. It may be restricted to biographical and genetic information. As with
the "delayed preface" the most obvious function of the "delayed notes" is to review the
author's past. The "delayed notes" and "preface" perfonn the function of providing long-
range auto criticism and putting the author's own achievemenuinto perspective.
of a text of fiction or poetry, by dint of its discursive nature, marks a break in the
enunciative regime - a break that justifies its assigning to the "para text. " Rarer than the
preceding type, this type of "note" is used most often with texts whose "fictionality" is
impure, very conspicuous for its historical references or philosophical reflections such as
novels or poems whose "notes" for the most part bear precisely on the non-fictional aspect
of the narrative. In these types of "notes" in fiction are found very many documentary
supplements and very few authorial comments. This way of using "notes" has more to do
'Yll.t I, "T'
with managing the text~than with laying down the "paratext."
for the addition of "notes" exceeds what an author may expect from an ordinary third paIty -
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which hardly goes beyond a "preface." The production of "allographic notes" goes along
with the establishment of the text, which defines the editorial function. Solely because it is
"allographic," the editorial "note" draws us toward another fringe of the "paratext," for it
consists of an external commentary (most often posthumous) that in no way involves the
' ... Modern critical editions are mostly devoid of evaluation and limited to the function
of providing clarification and information about the history and establishment of the text,
with presentation of "pre-texts" and variants; about sources; and (by way of quotations from
the private "epitext") about the author's own assessments and interpretations. The most
pronounced trend leads to a spectacular enrichment of the genetic aspect (or "geno-textual"
aspect). As a result many "pre-texts" are included, in response to the educated public's
growing curiosity about the "making" of the text and about the unearthing of earlier
versions that the author had abandoned. In this way, critical editions paradoxically blur the
notion of the text as contrasted to the "paratext," thus removing the kind of closure a text
has ordinarily come to enjoy in the modern context, in spite of the post-structuralist
endeavour to remove closure. "Paratext," therefore, helps break the sacrosanct notion of the
text as a closed unity and makes it more "open-ended" even at the level of the form.
Actorial notes: The "authentic actorial note" is a very distinctive variety of the
"allographic note." Even if it does not bear any stamp of the authorial, it takes on a highly
unsettling type of authority - the authority not of the author but of the subject, who is
Fictional notes: By "fictional notes" is meant not the selious "authentic notes" that
may accompany a work of fiction but, for a text that mayor may not be fictional, "notes"
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genre and, from Rousseau's Nouvelle Heloise to Sartre's Nausee, is pa11iculariy well
in "fictional notes" the author presents himself as an editor, responsible in detail for
establishing and managing the text. The "fictive authorial note" presents no distinctive
functional characteristic, for the disguised author merely attributes to his loaner name. The
"fictive allographic note" is more interesting but, strictly speaking, except for the identity of
the enunciator? it takes us back to the disavowing pseudo-editorial function. The "fictive
Some.
actorial notes," generally attributed to a narrator-character, are,<, two or three in Tristram
The "note" is a fairly elusive and receding element of the "paratext." Some types,
such as the "later" or "delayed authorial notes," fulfil a "paratextual" function, that of
providing defensive commentary or auto criticism. Other types, such as "original notes" to
discursive texts, instead constitute modulations of the text and are scarcely more distinct
from it than a phrase within parentheses or between dashes. "Fictional notes," under the
garb of a satilical simulation of the "paratext," conttibute to the fiction of the text. As for
"allographic notes," they slip out into the other side of the "paratext," not the side turned
toward the text, but the side tumed toward the critical "metatext," of which they are only a
commentary. The situation is neither paradoxical nor perplexing. For, if the "paratext" is
often an indefinite fringe between text and off-text, the "note" - which, depending on the
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type, belongs to one or the other or lies between the two; it perfectly illustrates this
X. The Public Epitext: What distinguishes "epitext" from "peri text" is purely
spatial. The "epitext" refers to any "paratextual" element which is not appended to the text.
It does not exist within the same volume but circulates freely in a virtually limitless
physical and social space. The location of the "epitext" is anywhere outside the book, but
nothing precludes its later admission to the "peritext." The "epitext" may appear 111
interviews and conversations assembled by the author, in the author's journal or diary. The
temporal occasions of the "epitext" are as varied as the "peritext" they may be "preceding,"
"original,'~ "later" or "delayed." The sender is most often the author, aided or not by several
interlocutors, but the sender ean also be the publisher. The addressee is most often the
reader of the original work but it can also be the public (the reader of the newspaper or the
magazine, etc.).
"allographic," "public authorial," and "private authorial." But the "epitext" - in contrast to
the "pelitext" - consists of a group of discourses whose function is not always "paratextual"
(that is, to present the text and comment on it) whereas the more or less unchanging regime
of the "peritext" is inseparable from its "paratextual" function. For instance, many a
"epitextual" conversation bears less on the author's work than on his life, his origins, his
habits, his political ideas, his relations with other people, etc. These various exercises can
also furnish us with "paratextual" information on a certain work. Here, Genette says, we
are dealing with "paratextual" effect rather than function. The "epitext's" "paratextual"
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function has no precise limits: its comment on the work may be endlessly diffused as in the
Everything a writer writes about his life, about the world around him, about the
works of others, including his critical oeuvre and his "allographic paratext," may have
"paratextual" relevance. While the study of the "notes" attests to the "paratext's" lack of
internal borders, the study of the "epitext" shows the lack of external limits: the "epitext," a
fringe on the fringe, gradually disappears into the totality of the authOlial discourse.
Genette says that the use of "epitext" should be more restIictive because there is a
While the "peri text," on many occasions, suffers from neglect from the literary
world, the case of the "epitext" is very different. Critics and literary histOlians have long
made extensive use of the "epitext" in commenting on works - as is evident, for example,
The publisher's epitext: The "publisher's epitext" is basically directed toward the
marketing of the book. Here, the author is not always responsible in a very meaningful
way. Posters, advertisements, press-releases, and other prospectuses come under this
category.
The semiofficial al/ographic epitext: This category, more or less authorized by some
authorial assent, is much less clear-cut and indisputable in the "epitext" than in the
"allographic preface," even though this may not be a sign of an absolute identity of views.
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Most often the "semiofficial epitext" takes the fonn of a clitical article that is somewhat
remote-controlled by the author, but for which the author does not own any responsibility.
The public authorial epitext: The two above-mentioned fOlms of the "epitext" are
marginal and deviant. Basically the "epitext" is authorial, even if some of its f0I1115 involve
the pal1icipation of one or several third parties. The public "epitext" is directed at the
pUblic. It may be autonomous, or spontaneous, as when an author publishes (in the form of
\
an article or volume) a commentary on his work, or it may be mediated by the initiative and
The "public epitextual" messages, whether autonomous or mediated, may take different
forms and fulfill functions depending upon the time of their production: "original," "later,"
or "delayed."
himself.
Public responses: The public response of the author to critics is a delicate exercise
and is in theory prohibited. The public response is.,however,considered legitimate only with
Mediations: The critical appraisals of one's own text and the right of response
constitute an autonomous recourse to the media. For with respect to the media, the
canonical situation consists of a dialogue between the writer and some intel111ediary. The
situation of the interlocution and the process of transmission, therefore, most often
,
~.
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Interviews: The "interview" can at times border on the role of a "preface." But
most often the "interview" is used to gather information about a recent and particular
work of an author.
autobiographical. The "conversation" shifts from the oeuvre of the author to his personal
life and has less direct "paratextual" relevance. Nonetheless, the mass of collected
much more broad and wide-ranging as it generally spreads over the entire range of the
author's oeuvre. A professional most often conducts the "interview" but the
"conversation" can take place between the author and his personal friend.
designate any situation in which an author is induced to "dialogue" not with an interlocutor
but with an audience of several dozen people, with or without recording and planned
"
publication. Such a situation is likely to arise following a lecture, or when a writer is
generally happens with famous authors. Due to the multiplicity of the interlocutors there is
absence of any sustained dialogue on a pm1icular topic in depth. Also, lack of intimacy
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between the two rules out too-personal questions and biographical issues and that keeps the
"genetic commentary:" how the book was written, under what circumstances, using what
XI. The Private Epitext: The "private epitext" is most often intimate and
confidential in nature. However, what really distinguishes the "private epitext" from the
"public epitext" is not exactly that in the former the author is not aiming at the public and
therefore does not have publication in view: many letters and many journal pages are
written with clear foreknowledge of their publication to come. What defines the "plivate
epitext" is the presence of a first addressee interposed between the author and the possible
public. This addressee (a friend or confidant) who is perceived not just as an intelmediary,
a media non person, but indeed as a full-fledged addressee, one whom the author addresses
for that person's own sake even if the author's ulterior motive is to let the public
subsequently know about the interlocution. In the "public epitext," the author addresses the
public tlu'ough an intelmediary; in the "private epitext," the author first addresses a
confidant who is real (whose personality is important and who can also influence the form
The whole corpus of "private epitext" can be divided into two large groups: the
"confidential epitext," in which the author addresses one (or more) confidant(s), either in
writing (correspondence) or orally (confidences) and the "intimate epitext," in which the
145
author addresses himself. This in tum takes two distinct fOlms (but they can include many
letter from a writer may have some bearing on his work; it exerts on its first addressee a
"paratextual" function and more remotely, on the public simply a "paratextual" effect. The
author has an exact idea of what he wants to say about his work to a definite individual, a
message that may even have no value or meaning except to that person. The author has a
much more diffuse idea about the relevance of this message for the general pUblic. And
words the "paratextual" effect arises from an awareness of the initial "paratextual" function.
The "conespondence" of an author can serve as a kind of statement about the history of
each of his works (creation, publication, reception, etc.). The "later correspondence" of the
author is naturally more copious and richer and sometimes may also contain information on
how the public and the critics reacted to the book. More commonly, "later correspondence"
revlews.
For instance, Keats's "letters" are important "paratextual" materials. The "letters"
highlight the intellectual maturity and emotional sensitivity of Keats. The "letters" also
enrich and influence our interpretation of his poetry. It is interesting to note that if our
focus of study is Keats's poetry, the poems are the texts and the "letters" "paratexts." But if'
Oral confidences: Compared with the corpus of the "author's letters," the corpus of
"oral confidences" is less copious and more dispersed. Such "oral confidences" may be
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reported in all sorts of texts, of which only a limited number are devoted to the source of
these confidences. But these comments bring about the necessary distinction between
statements and documents, a distinction that governs the whole of the "intimate paratext."
"letters" are meant only for the scrutiny of the author or a very intimate friend. "Intimate
epitext" designates any message bearing directly or indirectly on an author's own past,
present, or future work which the author addresses to himself, with or without the intention
of publishing it later - for the intention does not always ensure the result. A manuscript
meant for publication may disappear accidentally, or even because the author changes his
mind. For instance, Hopkins's "diaries," which were not meant to be published, provide a
lot of insight into the ideas of "inscape" which again help us in interpretation.
Pre-texts: Genette defines "pre-texts" as all such texts which necessarily come
before the publication of the final text in the form of a book. The "paratextual" message of
a writer's journals or manuscripts, whether its subject is technical or thematic, has the
more important function of providing testimony than documentation. And this testimony
is always questionable, insofar as it is intended for publication and is, therefore, directed
in the first analysis at a public to which the author reveals only what he wants to reveal.
I
Also because, like any journal, or indeed like any interior monologue, it consists of
t
telling oneself what one wants to tell oneself.
subjective and suspect terrain of testimony is abandoned for the theoretically more
objective terrain of the document. What happens is that a new border, the telTain of the
conscious and organized "paratext" or the "paratext de jure" is abandoned for the
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involuntary and "de facto paratext." A last type of "pre-text" consists of revisions and
corrections made to an already published text - also called "after-texts" by Genette. But,
as Genette very wittily says, the "after" of one edition is the "before" of a "later" edition.
One more thing that Genette mentions is the "prologue" and its counterpa11 the
"epilogue." "Prologue" and "epilogue" are not very popular in novels. James Hilton's
novel Lost Horizon (1933) is a fine example where Hilton begins with a "prologue" and
)
\
ends with an "epilogue." Hilton has brilliantly made use of the "prologue" and the
Genette himself admits, the list could go on because of the imperialistic tendency of the
"paratext" to invade the domain of the text. This can be very dangerous, as we already
know about the imperialistic tendency of the concept of text. But it seems possible to
extend the use of the term "para text" to a few other things.
Various kinds of notices, list of books or bibliography, maps and tables, list of
terms, and the index of subjects and the index of authors can be considered as
"paratexts." Some of these above-mentioned "paratexts" may not be relevant with respect
to the fictional or literary texts, but they do reside at the border of a text, and hence they
If we may touch briefly on drama, I have felt the necessity to call "paratext" all
such verbal appendages which go with the text of a dramatic work. We all know that
when we read a dramatic work we not only read the speeches of the various characters of
the play which comprise the action of the play but also read the "cast" and the order of
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appearance of the various characters, the "stage descriptions" of the various scenes, and
the various "stage directions." The "stage descriptions" and "stage directions" are
narrative acts at the beginning of a particular Act or Scene in the play. They punctuate
We all know that such narrative acts should not be interpretive in nature, going by
the episteme of a dramatic work of art. Such "paratextual" nanatives should not
comment on the characters and the action of the play. They are supposed to be neutral
and objective. Theoretically speaking, they should have a neutral point of view, a
"degree-zero." They may, however, enjoy the "point of view" of the audience as the
audience interacts directly with the action of the play. But most often, like other
"paratexts," that is not the case. The dramatist intervenes and comments directly on the
characters and their action, which, however, helps and also orients the reader in a
particular reading of the play. Of course, when we read the text of a play, the physical
of the characters' action and appearance. The heights, weight, physical appearance.
demeanours of the characters have to be presented to the readers. In fact, what is being
done is that several visual and semiotic signals are being transfol111ed into textual ones.
exhaustive. A few other elements, however, can be added to the list. In fact, Genette is
afraid that the imperialistic tendency of the "paratext" might drag it on to areas assigned
for the text. The next two chapters will examine the comprehensiveness and validity of