The nature of the traditional text

Abstract

The aim of this article is to frame the traditional text in modern-day theory of literature, in order to shed more light on the nature of the traditional text and to expose implicitly prerequisites that have to be taken into account when dealing with the traditional text. Traditional literature is brought into relation with the term ‘text’ of Roland Barthes (1979). A hypothetical ‘deep structure’ of the traditional text based on genre-event/time phase is constructed. All texts are seen as related or having at least some affinity to each other. Deep structures imply surface structures. A few examples indicate under which conditions deep structures become particular surface structures. A major argument in the article is that the traditional text is bound to extratext and determined by it. The text gives meaning to the world in which it exists while the extratext sheds light on the meaning of the text.