The definition of what is a “book” has vastly expanded through means of new, advanced medias such as artist books, podcasts, audiobooks, and more. As such, the codex is no longer the standard when it comes to defining what a “book” is and while there are ways these advancements can help broaden perspectives of readers, there is also the risk of losing  certain characteristics that are affixed to the codex. Certain paratextual elements like fictional marginal notations and material contents in the story S/Ship of Theseus by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst/V.M. Straka both endangers the attention of the reader from the main story and confuses the reader about what the main story even is about. The irregularity of material culture in books offers an unstable reading experience for the readers, thus endangering the efficiency of readership.

While paratextual material within a book is an interesting addition to the production of a book and offers new perspectives to expand upon the story overall, it does succeed in stealing the spotlight from the main story itself and forces the reader to do extra work to consume the book. The Story of S/Ship of Theseus is difficult to decipher. The content of the book contains the traditional text of a fictional story, with the addition of marginal notations and markings of two fictional characters named Jennifer and Eric who often write in the margins of the book, keeping contact via these spaces within the book. The notations are clearly intended to tie-in with the book, but it does require extra attention and effort from the reader to keep up with two different stories with one book. For example, between pages 112 and 113, there is a Brazilian postcard, left there by character ‘E.’ Since it is unclear if the postcard is from Eric or another character named ‘E’ the reading progress is slowed down, which damages experience of the reader. In addition, Eric and Jennifer often have conversations unrelating to the main story in the margins. For example, on page 112, Eric and Jennifer hold a long-drawn out conversation about Eric’s trip to France and how he wishes that Jennifer had joined him. The conversation continues onto page 113. Within the paratextual material, the characters also draw lines and highlight sections of the text as if they are going to make meaning of the text or offer valuable input, but instead continue a discussion that does not contribute to the text itself. For example, on page 113, Jennifer puts brackets around a piece of text towards the bottom of the page, draws an arrow to the margins, and brings up Eric’s trip to Paris again and how the trip relates to their relationship. Jennifer and Eric’s conversation is meaningless to the main story occurring in the background, and it only works if the reader cares about their input/relationship. However, if the reader does not care enough that they are engaging with the marginal notations and material content, then they are forced to tolerate it.  

While reading the book S written by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst, the main story Ship of Theseus by V.M. Straka, was ultimately in the background while the marginal notations and material objects were the focus, thus making it hard to identify the main intention made by the original authors. Ship of Theseus is a novel written by a mysterious writer named V.M. Straka, and follows the story of an unnamed man with amnesia aboard an unusual pirate ship that is inhabited by monstrous ship members and visits foreign lands, while the amnesiac man searches for his true identity and life story. However, with the addition of Jennifer and Eric’s side story, there is a secondary story that not also inherently divides the attention of the reader but also offers yet another intention from another author, which offers the risk of intentions clashing, which it does in this book. Since The Ship of Theseus is about a man with an unknown identity and a blurry past, the intention of V.M. Straka is to tell a story about self-exploration and opening oneself up to new experiences and new people. For example, on page 456, V.M. Straka states, “as for the identities of the two people at the wheel, well, both Sola and he will let their imaginations fill in their features.” Straka states this to support the main theme of self-exploration, as S. is practically a figuratively blank slate, and is open to having their identities be shaped by experiences saved for the future. With Jennifer and Eric, their story is about creating an intimate connection with another person who shares the same interests, in this case it’s the book V.M. Straka, as they voluntarily share the book back and forth, keeping up with each other’s lives and providing their personal inputs in the margins. One of the active readers makes connection between the book and their own life)One instance in which one of the active readers makes a connection between the book and their own life is on page 384 where Eric discusses a point made in the book, where V.M. Straka states, “the lost traces of youth in his face having departed.” Eric, in the margins, plays on the text and says, “One of the things that hit me in the hospital was that I’m not really young anymore.” This is one of few exceptions where the side story of the active readers coincides with the intention made by the enigmatic author, V.M. Straka. However, there are more instances where their side story is not compatible with the main story’s intentions that was made by Straka. For example, on page 454, the readers are in a relationship and make it known the readers, when Jennifer claims “I love you more everyday we’re together.” Their developing relationship simply leaves the reader with the enforcement to link the two story’s main themes, even when they do not coincide. On the subject, in the article Untangling S., Doug Dorst’s Novel Within a Novel, the author Brad Tyler says, “If you complicate traditional definitions of authorship, do you still have a book? If the book you’ve invented has an invented book at its center, do you still have a book? If most of your book’s action takes place in handwritten notes scribbled in a fake book’s margins, do you still have a book?” The question of authorship brought up by Tyler supports the idea that the concept of a story within a story muddles essential features of a book and how its intentions are received and understood by the reader. Simply put, S./Ship of Theseus disorients rather than provide benefits for its audience.

As interesting as paratextual and material object consumed books are, they require the reader to exert more effort than usual to consume a story. One of the positive attributes of material content, which develops most of S., is the inclusion of a hands-on experience for readers, and introduce tools like a compass, letters, post cards, etc. to help solve a mystery crafted by Abrams and Dorst. They provide the ability to work with the book and feel more included. However, there are major drawbacks to material content and paratextual elements in the novel. For example, there is a napkin found between pages 306 and 307 with a drawn on map by Eric. As immersive and included the reader might feel, it does raise the question of would the intention behind the napkin be understood if it were lost in the shipment of the book, or accidentally destroyed by the reader or a third party. In addition, there is a compass/decoder ring at the back of the book. However, not every reader who comes by it is able to use a compass/decoder ring. As for the marginal notations found throughout the entire book, made by Eric and Jen, while Eric’s handwriting is clear and concise, Jennifer writes in script, which is sometimes unreadable, though, her handwriting may not be unreadable to other readers. One example of her distinctive handwriting is found on page 120, where the pressure of the orange marker she often uses bleeds to the point where it makes her handwriting more difficult to decipher, thus isolating players based on comprehensive skills. Also, in the article ‘S.’ Marks the Spot: Navigating J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst’s Meaningful Maze, the author Geoffrey Reiter claims, “a reader cannot really skim the text—not just because the narratives are quite engrossing, but also because its unwieldy physicality requires careful handling. Inserts are placed on very specific pages, so that they cannot be removed without losing some of the narrative force.” Therefore, if a reader accidentally loses a material content, or the book is acquired without the content, or the reader fails to understand the handwriting of the marginal note-takers, the full “narrative force” loses some of its intentional impact.

In conclusion, paratextual elements and material content in books make it hard for the reader to grasp the main story that the author is trying to tell because it requires the reader to pause the fluidity of reading to stop, consume, and analyze additional content that likely distracts the reader from gleaning the author’s original intention, which causes the reader to have an abnormal reading experience. The additional elements in novels such as S provide readers a more unique experience while reading, but it hinders their reading affair and literary skills such as comprehension. Therefore, for a reader to fully explore books that include paratextual elements and material content, they must grasp the concept that the traditional codex is not the only version of books that are available in modern time.