Palimpsests. Second level literature

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Palimpsests. The literature on the second level is a literary theoretical work by the French Gérard Genette , first published in 1982 under the title Palimpsestes. La littérature au second degré .

Palimpsests are considered to be one of the modern theories of intertextuality that deals with the relationships between texts. Genette takes the term “intertextuality” in the narrower sense and develops a more precise, more complete terminology using a number of additional terms.

content

In order to deal more precisely with the terms of the (rather vaguely defined) intertextuality, Genette proposes a new terminology in which everything is initially subordinated to the generic term of transtextuality . Genette differentiates between five types of transtextuality:

intertextuality

In future, intertextuality will only refer to linguistically verifiable traces, the “effective presence of one text in another”. There are again three options for this.

the quote:
the (unmarked or marked with quotation marks / source references) one hundred percent transfer of one piece of text from another.
the allusion:
an alienation of the adopted piece of text that the reader has to recognize himself.
the plagiarism :
the unmarked takeover that the reader should not notice.

Paratextuality

Paratextuality describes everything that belongs to a literary text: title and subtitle, subtitles, forewords, afterwords, notes to the reader, introductions, marginalia, footnotes, notes, mottos, illustrations, laundry slips, ribbons, covers, etc. The term is also used here of the generic treaty of importance: If the term " novel " appears on a thick book under the title , this arouses certain expectations in the reader of the text that the book contains.

Metatextuality

Genette defines metatextuality as the textual relation that exists when a text can be understood as a comment by another. This is e.g. B. the case with literary criticism ( reviews , interpretations ). Metatextuality is, however, also present when a fictional text speaks about itself, comments on itself or z. B. comments on the associated genre. So it is not limited to factual texts.

Architextuality

In architextuality, like paratextuality, it is again about the inscription of a text in genre categories by the readers and critics. Architextuality determines the reader's horizon of expectation .

Hypertextuality

Hypertextuality is the most complex type of transtextuality. Genette understands hypertextuality to mean all connections between a previous text (the hypotext) and the currently available text (the hypertext) as well as the derivation from each other due to various transformation processes.

There are two basic types of hypertextual processes: transformation and imitation . Imitation means shifting a style or subject into another text - a deformation of the hypotext. Transformation means to create a hypertext precisely according to the model of the hypotext.

Genette now names the six results that these two hypertextual processes can produce, depending on their function , their register:

The playful hypertexts
The parody
The parody is, in Genette's narrow terminology (!), The almost literal repetition of the hypotext applied to a more modern / more topical / vulgar topic. The style remains the same as in the hypotext.
The pastiche
Related to the parody, the pastiche is about stylistic imitation. Pastiche authors try to create a hypertext that could easily be attributed to the author of the hypotext.
The satirical hypertexts
The travesty
The travesty proceeds exactly the opposite of the parody: it transforms the style of the hypotext, but retains the theme.
The pastiche
As a synthesis of pastiche and travesty, the style of the hypotext is transformed down in the pastiche and applied to another theme.
The serious hypertexts
The transposition
This is a transformation of the style or theme of a hypotext that is not comical or satirical.
The replica
Another word for replica is plagiarism . A hypotext is imitated without indicating the imitation and without appearing satirical or funny. Plagiarism is usually written in the slipstream of particularly successful literary works, the authors hope for just as great commercial success.

Consequences for the intertextuality theory

A global concept of intertextuality in the sense of Julia Kristeva no longer allows Genette's approach. Every text is a potential hypotext that can be quoted, transformed and emulated. The less transparent the hypertextuality of a work, the more the reader is challenged. Genette calls for a conscious, organized pragmatics in the relationship between the text and the reader.

literature

  • Genette, Gérard: Palimpsests. Second level literature. Frankfurt am Main 1993, ISBN 3-518-11683-5
  • Genette, Gérard: Palimpsestes. La littérature au second degré. Paris 1982, ISBN 2-02-006116-3

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Genette, Palimpseste, p. 15 f.