engleski

Paratexts and ebooks

This paper aims to compare and discuss functions and purposes of paratext in p- and e-books. Conceived as thresholds, the function of which is to guide readers of the printed book, to acquaint them with it and the writer’s intentions and enable efficient movement through the text (Gerard Genette, 1997), paratexts are sine quibus non in printed books. Yet, the role of purposeful paratext in e-books is unknown. Some paratexts (as TOC or indices) need book architecture based on pagination, which is lost in e-environments. Are such paratexts lost (eg. replaced with text searchability, that is regularly put forward as one of the advantages of the e- over the p-book), or they are going to be replaced with different ones (eg. start screens)? Some paratexts are changing place, as copyright notice, for many retailers do not want to include it in the 10-percent front sample they provide to potential consumers. Some paratexts, as dedications, prefaces, or introductions could be there, but are they still regarded as important testimonies of the writer’s intentions? Some texts (eg. footnotes) are detached from pages and, seemingly, sent to the realm of paratext. Some new elements (hyperlinks) are redirecting users to other texts, blurring the borders between texts and paratexts. Considering the scale of structural changes, it can be said that the architectures of the printed and the electronic books cannot be compared, particularly when we consider the latter as enhanced (multimodal) e-books or even book- apps. This paper contributes to the discussion underlining the changes in book front and back matters, or paratexts.

paratext ; e-books ; print books ; publishing studies

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