Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
22 used & new from £32.00

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation (Literature, Culture, Theory)
 
 

Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation (Literature, Culture, Theory) (Paperback)

by Richard Macksey (Foreword), Girard Genette (Author), Jane E. Lewin (Translator) "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..." (more)
3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £40.00
Price: £38.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (5%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 weeks.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

16 new from £32.00 6 used from £53.96
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £80.00 £76.00 26 used & new from £65.95

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method

Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method

by Gerard Genette
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £12.30
Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative

Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative

by Mieke Bal
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £13.00
The Field of Cultural Production: Essays on Art and Literature

The Field of Cultural Production: Essays on Art and Literature

by Pierre Bourdieu
£17.09
Introduction to Book History

Introduction to Book History

by David Finkelstein
£18.04
Narrative Discourse Revisited

Narrative Discourse Revisited

by Gerard Genette
£10.40
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 456 pages
  • Publisher: Cambridge University Press (13 Mar 1997)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0521424062
  • ISBN-13: 978-0521424066
  • Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 32,180 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #34 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > History & Criticism > Literary Theory & Movements > Semiotics
    #93 in  Books > Study Books > Undergraduate & Postgraduate > Arts & Humanities > Literature & Drama > Drama > Criticism
  • See Complete Table of Contents

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
Meaning Of Literature
   Ask.com    Find the Best Results for Meaning Of Literature on Ask! 
  
 

Product Description

Product Description
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.

Book Description
Paratexts are those liminal devices that mediate between book, author and reader: titles, forewords, dedications, epigraphs, notes, intertitles, interviews and conversations with the author, and publishers’ jacket copy all form part of a book’s private and public history. In this first English translation of Paratexts, Gerard Genette explores how these paratextual elements which surround and support a text influence its reception.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
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. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
richard burt
medieval and early modern film and media

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Literary theory made fun!, 13 Dec 2003
By Jan Erik Frantsvåg "janeriks" (Tromsø, Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Genette's theme is paratexts, all those texts connected to a literary text but not a part of it, like foreword, titles, notes, title page, dust-jacket blurb etc. With a lot of examples drawn primarily from French literature Genette shows what functions these paratexts may have and how they steer our reading of the text itself.

Genette writes in a sometimes wry and witty style, which makes what could have been dreary stuff both interesting and entertaining.

The book can't help being self-referencing, and that in itself makes it interesting. One point is that Genette strongly advocates the reader's right to be informed about the typography used, the name of the type it is set in etc. No such information is available in this book about itself - have the publishers not read it?

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Utterly missable, 9 Nov 2007
By A reader (London, UK) - See all my reviews
I cannot help but disagree with the other reviewer. This is a very pedestrian trawl through all the various sorts of paratexts available to a writer or publisher. It offers very little in terms of theoretical insight into the contributions paratexts may make to the production, controlling or opening up of literary meaning, focussing instead on ideas of what he calls 'function'. His basic point that paratexts are to be seen as the 'thresholds of interpretation' is banal.

The book is, by Genette's own admission, limited largely to French literature, which is another drawback for anyone interested in paratexts related to English or other literatures. Furthermore, examples are generally drawn from texts written after the eighteenth century, so while he has much on types of paratext like book covers, bibiliographic information and critical prefaces, he glosses over (pun intended) a lot of the really interesting critical implications of early forms of paratextuality, including marginal notations added by readers themselves (although this may not strictly fall within the legitimate scope of his study).

If you want a more interesting theoretical approach to the ways framing devices and marginal types of textuality inform the main body of a text, try Derrida's work on marginality instead.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Graphic Design, Print Culture...

Graphic Design, Print...

The uniformity of the eighteenth-century novel in today’s paperbacks... Read more
£21.99 £18.69

Find similar items

 

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream
From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

 

We've Got Converse

Converse
Stock up on your favourite styles with great deals on Converse shoes.

Shop Converse

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates