Abstract
Most stylistic analyses of literary texts begin with the text proper, largely ignoring the paratextual elements that precede it. The extent of this lacuna within stylistics is so great that a search through the back catalogue of Language and Literature, stylistics’ flagship journal, returns no results for contributions whose titles contain the terms ‘title’ or ‘paratext’. In what follows we underline the implications of this neglect through findings which point to the import of titles for readers’ interpretive processes. Drawing on our analysis of a 58-million-word corpus of book reviews from the online retailer Amazon.com, the research reported on here provides evidence for what many theorists have claimed but for which they have often provided no empirical support, namely, that titles contribute to the establishment of reader expectations about a text.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Language and Literature: International Journal of Stylistics
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
