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Armenian scholarship open to all

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Topic:Mekhitarist Congregation
Showing 1 of 1 matching publications (200 total) · catalogue updated 2026-07-22
Journal ArticleOpen Access

Shaping Readerly Taste: Paratextuality in the Publishing Mission of Mxit'ar of Sebastia

Arlen, Jesse, 2023
Armeniaca. International Journal of Armenian Studies, Vol. 2, pp. 119–142 (Edizioni Ca' Foscari, Venice); DOI 10.30687/arm/9372-8175/2023/01/006

Applies 'history of the book' theory to show how Mxit'ar of Sebastia, founder of the Mekhitarist Congregation, used paratexts (title pages, frontispieces, dedications, prefaces, illustrations, epilogues) in his publishing mission to shape how his books were read. Argues he presented himself as a 'second Maštoc'' and his students as heirs to the fifth-century Holy Translators, transmitting Armenian Christian literary tradition under the Roman Catholic Church. Links early modern Armenian print culture to questions of identity and religious continuity.

Mekhitarist CongregationArmenian print historybook historyMxit'ar of SebastiaArmenian Catholic Church
EnglishRead Shaping Readerly Taste: Paratextuality in the Publishing Mission of Mxit'ar of Sebastia (opens in a new tab)

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