Behind the Scenes: Glossing the Glossary, Digital Approaches to Paratexts and Power in Arabic Literature-Dima Ayoub

What happens to our reading of literature if the role of the paratext (the ancillary materials surround texts), instead of the text, is foregrounded? Using Edward Said’s notion of the contrapuntal, I discuss how digital modes of analysis facilitate a concurrent process of close and distant readings of paratexts in Arabic-to-English translations. Digital analysis brings to the surface power dynamics—in terms of gender, colonialism, and other key topics—buried in paratexts such as glossaries. Lunch will be served. Suggested readings and please sign up at url for event.