Didactic practice and authority discourse in a supplementary educational book: the peritext as an enunciative strategy

Abstract

The present paper proposes a reflection about the authority discourse established in some peritexts of a supplementary educational book, demonstrating how certain strategies are organized in the construction of the so-called didactic practice. For Genette (2009) the peritexts consist in elements found inside the confines of a book, i.e. elements inserted in its same support-object, integrating the book and taking part in its meaning. According to a stereotypical teaching perspective, it is believed that a controversial and non-contractual relationship is established in the warning and opening texts of this supplementary educational book: the one who teaches possesses the knowledge while the one who learns possesses no knowledge at all. For the analysis, the choice was a book focused on the teaching of literature, entitled O poeta que fingia, part of the collection “Meu amigo escritor”, organized by Álvaro Cardoso Gomes by Editora FDT. To carry out such a reflection, we will rely on the theoretical assumptions of discursive semiotics, as well as Gérard Genette’s (2009) concept of peritext in here articulated with Jacques Fontanille’s (2008) considerations on practices and levels of pertinence of the semiotic analysis. Finally, we will also rely on the proposal of Jean Cristtus Portela (2008) for the study of didactic practices.