This chapter presents a dual perspective on the paratextual apparatus of a work of electronic literature, The Unknown: The Original Great American Hypertext Novel by William Gillespie, Scott Rettberg, Dirk Stratton, and Frank Marquardt. Approaches from literature studies and information science are combined to offer qualitative content analyses and close readings of the table of contents, titular apparatus, comments hidden in the source code, and other paratextual elements, in relation to the narrative. Findings indicate that the work's paratextual content presents inconsistencies and contradictions, both in terms of the use of the paratextual structure and of the information conveyed. The paratextual elements are analyzed through the lens of Gérard Genette's theory, as outlined in Paratexts: Thresholds of Interpretation, in order to gauge their role and efficiency as identifiers, organizational components, and information providers, as well as their literary effect. The value of the theory as an interdisciplinary tool is also discussed.

This paper presents the dual narrative of a shared research combining approaches from LIS and literature studies. Content and textual analyses of the digital novel The Unknown help identify areas of common interest, such as genesis and access. Interdisciplinary issues, such as methodology and reporting styles, are also addressed.Cette communication présente la bi-narration d'une étude partagée combinant des approches des sciences de l'information et des études littéraires. Des analyses de contenu et textuelles du roman numérique The Unknown aident à relever les zones d'intérêts communs, notamment la genèse et l'accès. Les questions d'interdisciplinarité, telles que la méthodologie et le style, seront aussi abordées.

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