Peritext in the Picturebook: Can It Be Metanarrative?

Abstract

This paper focuses on how peritexts function in communicating a picturebook's narration and what impact they have on reading comprehension or interpretation. Based on modern narratological theory and research findings of metanarration, this study analyses the metanarrative function of peritexts in three picturebooks: Chester by Mélanie Watt, Black and White by David Macaulay, and Keine Angst vor gar Nichts by Gudrun Likar with illustrations by Manuela Olten. The findings of this study reveal that peritexts in picturebooks display metanarration at both a verbal and a visual level; they reflect the act or process of narration, highlight the book's narrative features, and affect the reader's reception of the picturebook.

A Study on Recognizing and Communicating Metaphors in Picture Book Creation in the Digital Age

“…It is not only a visual form of artistic expression to convey thoughts and emotions that words cannot penetrate, but it also belongs to the linguistic form of creative art practice activities, which has an important impact on picture book therapy and even the broader field of art therapy. Literature [7] examines how context plays a role in picture book narratives and how it affects reading comprehension. Based on modern narrative theory and meta-narrative research results, we analyze the meta-narrative function in three picture books, Chester, Black and White, and Caine's Night, and the results of the study found that the picture book context, both linguistically and visually, exhibits meta-narrative features, portraying behaviors and processes, and highlighting the vivid and flexible features of picture book narratives.…”