Texts mediated from texts: Instability and pertextuality

Abstract

“TEXT/TEXTUALITY: This is not a definition” The text-mediated textuality field is still not so clearly defined and this may in part explain the lack of labels to accurately isolate the related phenomena. In seeking an initial identification and classification of similar textual representations, the first part of this work will attempt to define as “precarious” any written texts on more or less permanent support surfaces such as parts of the human body (e.g. skin, nails, etc.), clothing, walls or any other surfaces (doors, furniture, etc.) of public bathrooms, school desks, outdoor walls, benches, trees, and so on. The aim is an attempt at suggesting the need to reverse the broadly generic consideration trend of precariousness in which these texts are now being held to their being metalinguistically defined and to appreciate with scientific objectivity writings that are otherwise considered as being too low in textual content value. The second part of this work tries to isolate three types of phenomena while offering the definition of “crosstextuality”, “pertextuality” and “surtextuality”. I especially dwell on the second type of text while I identify and try to describe Comics as a place of choice for this type of expression.