paratext

English

Etymology

From para- +‎ text.

Noun

paratext (countable and uncountable, plural paratexts)

1. (literary) In literary theory, meanings that are alluded to, above or beyond the printed text; interpretations of text.

   Coordinate terms: subtext, context, peritext, epitext

2. All of the notes and explanations that make a text more understandable.

Derived terms

• paratextual (adj)

References

• Gérard Genette, Paratext: Thresholds of interpretation