The Roman Paratext

What is a paratext and where can we find it in a Roman text? What kind of space does a paratext occupy and how does this space relate to the text and its contexts? How do we interpret Roman texts ''paratextually''? And what does this approach suggest about a work''s original modes of plotting meaning or the assumptions that underpin our own interpretation? These questions are central to the conceptual and practical concerns of the volume which offers a synoptic study of Roman paratextuality and its exegesis within the broad sphere of Roman studies. Its contributions which span literary epigraphic and visual culture focus on a wide variety of paratextual features - e.g. titles and inter-titles prefaces indices inscriptions closing statements decorative and formalistic details - and other paratextual phenomena such as the frames that can be plotted at various intersections of a text''s formal organization.