Material Framing: The Paratext

Abstract

This chapter explores the status of the paratext as part of the graphic narrative book’s extended medial apparatus. Paratexts are particularly important for documentary comics: they announce and explain the unconventional combination of medium and genre (in prefaces or blurbs), and fulfill the author’s pledge to accuracy (in notes, bibliographies, and other appendices). The paratext is discussed not as a stable material frame or ontological boundary for the book but rather as a pragmatic space to manifest framing strategies—which are subject to change with editions. Nevertheless, the materiality of the book is discussed as a distinguishing factor against digital media. The chapter discusses different functions of the paratexts, such as advertising the book as a commodity, sparking the reader’s interest, and offering clues toward the generic status—and, importantly, guiding (potential) readers in their interpretation of the text and the represented conflicts.