The Web is Paratextual: An Exploration of the Web's Architecture from a Paratextual Perspective

Contrary to what one might assume when comparing the materiality of the book-as-object to the Web, this paper proofs what the title promises and projects Gérard Genette's '87 book-based paratext theory onto the Web. Elements of the Web’s architecture selected for this paratextual study include textual units that are exposed in browser windows, thereby taking into consideration Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and the structure of website-addresses and links.The presentation concludes with examples from electronic literature, that is literature in programmable media, an artistic practice employing language-driven, linguistic, and literary features in multi-medial, digital environments carried out by an artist, programmer, designer, or computer program.