Transfinality: Coherence, Cohesion and Diegetic Substitution in the Manuscripts Berlin, mgo 1430 and Vienna, Cod. 2885

Abstract

The fact that context has a special valence in manuscripts which contain a number of short stories has already been the subject of research. This article focuses on the ends which, as connecting links, also point beyond the boundaries of the individual text and can thus transcend the finis. Possibilities for this ›transfinality‹ in the collection are discussed using the two examples of Berlin, SB, mgo 1430 and Vienna, ÖNB, Cod. 2885. These constitute markers of thematic coherence, which contribute to segmentation and paradigmatic intensification; and represent cohesive procedures, which generate particular textual dynamics precisely through paratextual additions. Last but not least, they represent the possibility of diegetic substitution, which emphasises the importance of reception for the establishment of a syntagmatic connection.