1. Introduction: Genette's definition of paratexts as thresholds of interpretation.

Paratexts are the liminal devices and conventions, both within and outside the book, that
form part of the complex mediation between book, author, publisher, and reader: for instance,
titles, forewords, epigraphs, and publishers' jacket copy are all part of a book's private and public
history.
In Paratexts, an English translation of Seuils, Grard Genette shows how the special
pragmatic status of paratextual declarations requires a carefully calibrated analysis of their
illocutionary force. This work constitutes indeed quite a clear and precise encyclopedic survey of
the customs and institutions of the Republic of Letters, as they are revealed in the borderlands of
the text. The main aspect of the work is perhaps the fact that 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, thus helping us understand the importance of the poetics of
paratexts and their interaction with more general questions of literature as a contemporary
cultural institution.

2. Categories and examples:

a) Peritext
This is, in essence, what constitutes the books presence, a guarantee of its existence and
availability: everything we find under a visual form, generally according to the criteria of the
publishing house that is to say, the psychical aspect of a book as a finished object ready to be
acquired by the general public.
In Paratexts Genette carries out a thorough study and analysis of each and every one of
these elements, showing some examples and their cultural, political or social implications. For
instance, it is not quite the same whether a book is dedicated To the Queen or To the masses;
in like manner, the resonances may have an intertextual character: thus, when we read, at the
beginning of T.S. Eliots poem The Hollow Men the epigraph Mistah Kutz he dead, we
immediately think of the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, which contributes to identify
certain implied ideas within the poem itself.
Examples: authors name, title, dedications, inscriptions, epigraphs, epilogue, preface,
notes, etc.

b) Epitext
Genette defines the second component of the paratext, the epitext, as any paratextual
element which is not physically attached to the text, but rather circulates in the open air within a
given social space. The epitext may therefore consist of an almost unlimited series of references
to the literary work: interviews, ads, critical reviews, private letters, etc. which are to be found
anywhere outside the book (e.g. in newspapers, magazines, tv or radio broadcasts, conferences,
debates, controversies, etc.). These multiple references may sometimes end up becoming part of
the book itself (not the literary work as such), in order to amplify its resonance. Such is the case of
the private letters between George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, that can be found as an epilogue
to some recent editions of Brave New World.

3. The 1885 edition of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

When applying Genettes paratextual categories to the 1885 edition of Mark Twains
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the first thing we notice on its cover, next to the most common
features of title and authors name, are the explanatory inscription Tom Sawyers comrade
between brackets and the word Illustrated: the former is an explicit intertextual reference to
another of Twains novels, whereas the latter constitutes an appealing addition to the reading
experience. It is remarkable, however, the absence of the illustrators name throughout the whole
book: in spite of the One hundred and seventy-four illustrations (as stated on page 12) we barely
get to see E.W. Kembles name on the signature of the illustration which appears on page 9.
Next, we discover an illustration portraying a smiling (and one might even say mischievous)
protagonist, which somewhat contrasts with Tom Sawyers image [note: see Frontispiece from The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (1st ed., 1876)]. DIFFERENT ILLUSTRATORS (here is
True Williams)
Following Huckleberry Finns illustration we find the authors image: not a photograph or a
drawing, but the serious figure of a bust profile (whose sculptor is indicated below) and his
handwritten signature. This depicts a rather serious image of the writer, which could serve as a
means to bestowing a sort of literary weight to the novel (although we cannot dismiss the
possibility of it all being a humorous attempt to emphasize the contrast between fiction and
reality).
In the next page we find again the full title and authors name, this time also including the
name of the publishing house and two brief indications to set up the context of the novel (space
and time). Again, we learn about the number of illustrations (and yet the name of the illustrator
remains unknown, which seems to speak of the little importance given to these kind of details at
the time).

The next page contains only the name of the copyrights holder, an important detail as we
learn Twains real name: Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
Next page: Notice. Warning/threat: this would be, in my opinion, a satirical way of inviting
the reader to discard any serious analysis and simply enjoy the book.
Next page, however, contains an explanatory note with regard to the different dialects and
speech patterns used throughout the novel. This, on the other hand, shows the amount of literary
work and attention paid to the style of the writing (the author in fact declares to have worked
painstakingly, following his personal familiarity with these several forms of speech).
We then come to the table of contents, and an index of the illustrations (once again, no
credit is given to the illustrator).
Once we dive into the novel as such, we will notice the importance of the different running
page titles, and how they evolve all through the story, summarizing the chapters content in a sort
of rough synopsis.
It is remarkable that page titles change within the same chapter: even-numbered pages
have always the name of the novel, whereas odd ones bear a summary of the action taking place
within these very same pages.

4.Huckleberry Finns Epitext.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (former work and seed to this one).
Hemingway declared, All modern American literature comes from Huck Finn, and hailed it
as the best book we've had.
A number of film adaptations, music works, Broadway musicals, all in all adding value and
richness to Mark Twains novel.
e.g. Finn: A novel (by Jon Clinch, Random House, 2007) a story about Pap Finn (Hucks
father)

Conclusion.
Paratext: involves a diversity of elements aiming to enrich the text, while influencing the way
a book is perceived (that is to say, a sort of satellites of a written work).

Opening questions.
In a time of seemingly endless possibilities of communication and interaction, what value do
you attach to the more classical elements of the paratext (such as critical reviews or academics
advise)?
Recent technologies are producing a sort of enhanced electronic books, which include
animated illustrations, video and audio files. Do you think the importance of these interactive
elements will keep on increasing to the detriment of the written content?