Einleitende Paratexte in südasiatischen Neusprachen

• Verfasst von: Harder, Hans [VerfasserIn]
• Titel: Einleitende Paratexte in südasiatischen Neusprachen
• Titelzusatz: eine Erkundung
• Verf.angabe: Hans Harder
• E-Jahr: 2016
• Jahr: [2016]
• Umfang: 28 S.
• Fussnoten: Gesehen am 29.06.2017
• Titel Quelle: Enthalten in: Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft
• Ort Quelle: Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz Verlag, 1847
• Jahr Quelle: 2016
• Band/Heft Quelle: 166(2016), 1, Seite 153-180
• ISSN Quelle: 2747-4402
• DOI: doi:10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.166.1.0153
• Datenträger: Online-Ressource
• Sprache: eng
• K10plus-PPN: 1560310065

Abstract

This article tentatively explores the huge but so far highly neglected field of introductory paratexts (forewords, introductions etc.) in modern South Asian languages. Proceeding from Gérard Genette's foundational work on the topic, I attempt an overview of the large variety of forms and communicative functions such paratexts assume in a number of languages and literatures, drawing in the main on very diverse sources in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, and English. While the paratexts in their familiar forms are in general closely tied up with the conventions of book production and hence print culture, I first look at the links of printed paratexts to pre-print paratextual (or pseudo-paratextual) conventions in South Asia, and show that the latter have not entirely vanished but partly found their way into present-day book culture. In the main part of the article, then, I attempt to present some insights into the generic and conventional features of these texts, and to trace how South Asian authors put paratexts to use, arguing that paratexts are indeed a complex and fascinating aspect of textual culture and a clue to the social history of texts, in South Asia as well as elsewhere.