- Who writes the literary warning?
- The literary warning by the authors
- The literary warning by the editors
- The literary warning by third parties
- References
A literary warning is a type of preface prologue whose objective is to clarify, justify, explain or warn the reader about some specific question of the literary work it precedes.
This type of preliminary text is often used when a previous edition has been modified, when a new impression comes to light or when the work has been the subject of controversial or controversial opinions.
The most typical examples are those of works that have suffered censorship for political, religious or other reasons.
Who writes the literary warning?
Literary warnings can be written by the authors of the work themselves, the publisher or a renowned third person, who may also have some relationship with the author and who, generally, has the objective of making an assessment of said work.
The language is always simple and clear in order to reach and influence as many readers as possible.
Although the styles of its writing have varied throughout history, the purposes remain the same.
The literary warning by the authors
Typically, authors write their literary warnings to:
-Prevent possible objections or reservations by the reader regarding the content of the work or its language
-Responding to criticisms made to previous editions
-Defend, withdraw or refute positions and ideas that have been held in the work and that are the axis of controversies.
In these cases the author takes into account the controversial points and sets out, in an equally literary style, the reasons why he considers that the reading of his book will be valuable.
The literary warning by the editors
In most cases the literary warnings of the editors tend to be more explanatory and less literary texts.
They generally limit themselves to explaining the edition in question and its differences with the previous ones, providing biographical data of the author or defending the decisions of the changes and what has been preserved.
The literary warning by third parties
The third parties are usually people who have a reputation in the area about which they want to warn the reader, or someone who knows the work or the author very well.
It tries to modify the reader's disposition regarding the prejudices or errors of which it tries to warn it, so that not only does it present the evidence that is favorable to the work, but, if it is the case, it tries to disarm the arguments against it.
In these cases, the language used is also usually literary, even when the purpose is to argue.
As Jorge Luis Borges points out, this type of "prologue tolerates confidentiality."
References
- Ramos, E. Á. THE LITERARY FOREWORD IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND THE CLASSIC RHETORIC: FROM THE PARTS ORATIONIS TO THE MOST COMMON TOPICS. Electronic Journal of Hispanic Studies, 61.
- Wellek, R., Dámaso, G., & José María, W. (1966). Literary theory. Gredos
- Malik, K. (2010). From Fatwa to Jihad: The Rushdie affair and its aftermath. Melville House Pub.
- BORGES, Jorge Luis, Complete Works, Vol. IV, Barcelona, Círculo de Lectores, 1992, p. fifteen.