Recognizing the power of paratexts:
What gets missed when all the elements surrounding the text are overlooked?
paratext
Defined
We think a lot about how people access and consume content in today’s digital world, but rarely do we give paratexts the attention they deserve. And scholars often don’t consider paratexts when they’re studying ancient religious manuscripts. They’re more apt to focus solely on the words — things such as the most accurate translation.
What gets missed when all the elements surrounding the text are overlooked?
Recognizing the power of paratexts has opened distinctive research opportunities for Dr. Garrick V. Allen. He’s convinced that paratexts are a unique and important way to analyze and understand how people read and understand sacred texts – and this was as true in ancient times as it is in today’s digital world.
examples
Headings. Illustrations. Decorative motifs. The cover. The size of the pages. Ink colors. Marginal notations. These and many other elements of paratext – defined as any and every element that surrounds a text — can profoundly influence how we experience and interpret whatever we’re reading.
paratexts are like sign posts for what to do with the text.
DR. GARRICK V. ALLEN
University of Glasgow
Research Projects
Mapping The Margins
What’s a book? More than just a series of words on a series of pages, it’s a multisensory experience. Things such as the font, paper quality, illustrations, layout, and overall design all affect our encounters with anything meant to be read.
What if we knew more about how our minds interpret what surrounds a text?
Insights Hidden In Plain Sight
We think a lot about how people access and consume content in today’s digital world, but rarely do we give paratexts the attention they deserve.
What if religions saw aesthetic paratexts as doorways to new spiritual information?
imagine