Armeniaca International Journal of Armenian Studies

Journal | Armeniaca
Journal issue | 2 | 2023
Research Article | Shaping Readerly Taste

Shaping Readerly Taste

Paratextuality in the Publishing Mission of Mxit‘ar of Sebastia

Abstract

Making use of theoretical insights from “History of the Book” scholarship, this paper examines the way in which Mkhit‘ar of Sebastia made use of paratexts (title pages, frontispieces, dedications, epigraphs, prefaces, illustrations, headings, epilogues, appendices, etc.) in his ‘publishing mission’ (to use Sahak Djemdjemian’s appelation) to shape readerly taste and influence the way in which his books were read, received, and interpreted. Through introductory poems, illustrations, and playful word games, he presented himself as a second Mashtots and his own students like the famous 5th-c. disciples of that vardapet, who were meant to transmit and create in the same Armenian Christian literary tradition, under the aegis of the Roman Catholic Church.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: March 3, 2023 | Accepted: May 12, 2023 | Published Nov. 22, 2023 | Language: en

Keywords Mxit‘ar of SebastiaMxit‘arist congregationParatextualityReader responseHistory of the book


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