Analysis Of Not Your Mother's Rules

Society is surrounded by symbolism. Through our individual interpretation, we gain information and knowledge. The cover of a book allows readers to quickly and efficiently judge what the contents involve. The cover of 'Not Your Mothers Rules' written by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider contains symbols that allow the consumer to absorb information about the book and decide whether or not they want to read it. With this in mind, the image of this book cover will be analysed in terms of its intertextual, intratextual and extratextual use of framing, to analyse how readers are most likely to interpret the visual text. According to MacLachlan and Reid (1994, 4) intertextuality allows one to relate one text or text type to another. This also allows …show more content…
By allowing audiences to recognise what the genre of the text is, they can set their expectations accordingly. It is likely that because of the relationship between the texts, the audience will be able to interpret that the genre is a non-fiction self-help book, based on love and relationships. The relationship non-fiction genre gives insight into the dating culture at the time that the book was written. Bearing in mind that genres can change and adapt much like cultures. Intertextuality allows people to take knowledge from in this instance, other books that they have read to assist in defining what this one may be about. Whilst it is not vital for readers to be aware of the first book, it is likely that the authors allowed not only their first book but other relationship non-fiction books to influence how they framed this book …show more content…
Whilst this information is not specified by the text it is felt to be a requirement. As it displays on the cover, the text 'the new secrets of dating' allows the reader to interpret this information as a set of rules in relation to the current dating culture. Extratextual framing occurs here, it is assumed that the reader has a certain level of experience, knowledge or capability when it comes to dating. It specifies that whilst it is for a range of readers and intentions, having the knowledge of what the current dating culture is like, would greatly assist in receiving the message intended by the authors. Extratextual framing is important within this book in particular because it is a non-fiction, self-help book based on dating and relationships. Therefore, the outside information that the reader has on the dating culture will most likely allow them to interpret the intended message of the book much clearer. Whilst this book is set to inform readers of the dating culture, there is a certain level of assumed knowledge that the reader would be likely to