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Peritextual elements

Concept
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Textual materials surrounding the main poem, such as titles or epigraphs

Detailed Definition
Peritextual elements refer to the supplementary textual features that frame or accompany a poem but are not part of its main body—such as titles, epigraphs, dedications, footnotes, prefaces, and authorial notes—which shape interpretation, provide context, or guide reader expectations, often functioning as interpretive thresholds between the reader and the poetic text itself.
Example
Example in poetry:
Peritextual elements in Anne Carson’s “Nox” (collaged photos, letters); footnotes as poetry in David Foster Wallace; cover art integrated into Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen”; peritextual paratexts in M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!”
Additional Notes
Peritextual elements: Paratextual features surrounding the poem (titles, dedications, footnotes, epigraphs); shape interpretation and frame the poetic text; crucial in postmodern and conceptual poetry.
Also Known As
Paratextual elements Framing materials Marginal text Surrounding apparatus
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