Intertextuality
Intertextuality is a literary concept that describes how texts reference or draw upon one another, creating layers of meaning. Coined by philosopher and literary critic Julia Kristeva in the 1960s, the term suggests that no text exists in isolation; instead, it is interwoven with other works, allowing readers to draw on their previous literary experiences. For instance, James Joyce’s *Ulysses* relates to Homer’s *Odyssey*, and John Steinbeck’s *Of Mice and Men* evokes a line from Robert Burns’ poem, enriching its narrative meaning.
Intertextuality can manifest through various literary techniques, such as direct references to familiar characters, plots, or settings, and can also extend to adaptations across different media, like films based on novels. This practice encourages readers to compare texts, fostering dialogue between them and potentially altering perceptions of each. Ultimately, intertextuality not only enhances understanding of the new work but can also reshape interpretations of the original texts, leading to fresh insights. The concept continues to evolve, with scholars applying it beyond literature to encompass broader media forms, reflecting its significance in cultural discourse.
Intertextuality
Intertextuality refers to the use of a text or elements of a text within the body of another work. The word itself is derived from the Latin word intertexto, which means "intermingling elements of a weaving."
Authors use intertextuality to convey an additional layer of meaning by referring to a known character or concept from another work. For example, the title of John Steinbeck’s classic novel, Of Mice and Men, references a line in the famous poem by Robert Burns, "To a Mouse." For familiar readers, the line "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" immediately conveys the idea that events in the story are unlikely to go as the characters plan.
Origin
The earliest recognized use of the term intertextuality was by French writer, psychoanalyst, and feminist Julia Kristeva (b. 1941). In two of Kristeva’s essays, "Word, Dialogue and Novel" (1966) and "The Bounded Text" (1967), she used the term to refer to what she saw as the interconnectedness among written works. According to Kristeva, readers are influenced not only by the writer of the work they are currently reading but also by the writers of all works they have read in the past. Characters, concepts, titles, phrases, and even single words can evoke layers of meaning from the reader’s previous literary experiences.
Kristeva built on the work of Mikhail Bakhtin (1895–1975), a Russian literary critic, philosopher, and semiotician, or one who studies the creation of meaning. Bakhtin espoused a similar view on the interweaving of meaning among literary works. In Bakhtin’s view, no word uttered or written ever stands alone but always carries with it the meaning of words that came before.
Although Bakhtin and Kristeva were among the first to recognize and name the practice of drawing on previous work, the idea of using one text to enhance the meaning of another is not new. Examples can be found in the works of Plato (c. 428–348 BCE), Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE), and Aristotle (c. 384–322 BCE), as well as in the Bible and in other ancient writings.
Literary Applications
The most common use of intertextuality is within literature (fiction). In this context, it refers to situations in which an author uses a direct reference to another written work by including a familiar title, scene, character, setting, or plot. For example, the novel Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding was famously based on the plot and characters in Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice (1813). Fielding is said to have intentionally based her work on the Austen novel, especially the character of Mr. Darcy. Filmmakers further enhanced the intertextual referencing by casting actor Colin Firth (b. 1960) in the film version of Bridget Jones’s Diary; Firth had portrayed Mr. Darcy in the critically acclaimed BBC version of Pride and Prejudice (1995).
Another intertextuality technique might involve including a well-known story or aspect of a story, such as a historical event, myth, or folk legend. In such cases, the author is seeking to evoke a particular way of thinking on the part of the reader. For example, an author might name a character Abraham Lincoln Smith to bring the characteristics of the late US president to the reader’s mind. Adding a second character named John W. Booth might imply a pending conflict between the two, based on the historical context of the names.
These interjections of previous works or history can be as brief as mentioning another literary text, perhaps by having a character in a story reading a particular book, or as prolonged as reworking the entire plot and cast of one book into a more contemporary version.
Functions and Effects
Intertextuality might evoke a direct comparison of the two texts, encouraging the reader to notice similarities or differences. The reader’s knowledge of the original text can help shape, frame, or reframe the context of the new work. Alternately, intertextuality might create a dialogue of sorts between the two texts, with the parts of one complementing and enhancing the other. Finally, intertextuality can be used to challenge reader understanding of either text. An example of this is the 1971 novel Grendel by American author John Gardner (1933–82). Grendel tells the ancient Beowulf legend from the perspective of the creature fought and vanquished by the hero, giving new perspective to readers of the old English poem "Beowulf."
Intertextuality can have multiple effects on a reader. First and most commonly, this technique impacts the reader’s interpretation and understanding by enhancing or altering the reader’s perception of major literary elements, such as characters, setting, plot, and so on. Intertextuality can also change the reader’s perception of the original text by bringing up new ideas or showing the work from another perspective. Finally, intertextuality can cause the reader to reinterpret both texts in light of new understandings brought about by a comparison of the two, which may lead to new ideas and insights.
Expanded Theory
Since Kristeva first used the term in the late 1960s, the concept of intertextuality has been expanded by other scholars and critics. Some of these individuals have adopted the term to refer to other aspects of literature or media. For example, some scholars believe that basing a movie on a book is a form of intertextuality. Likewise, other suggest that adopting a story from one format to another, such as taking the characters and setting from the play Peter Pan and using them in cartoons for children, can be considered a use of intertextuality, too.
Bibliography
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Kalogirou, T., and V. Economopoulou. "Building Bridges Between Texts: From Intertextuality to Intertextual Reading and Learning." Exedra Journal: Portugues: Invetigacao e Ensino (Dec 2012): 180–87. Web. 2 Mar 2016. http://www.exedrajournal.com/exedrajournal/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/14-numero-tematico-2012.pdf
Keep, Christopher, et al. "Intertextuality." The Electronic Labyrinth. University of Virginia, n.d. Web. 2 Mar 2016. http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/elab/hfl0278.html
Lemaster, Tracy. "What is ‘Intertextuality’?" Great World Texts: A Program of the Center of the Humanities. University of Wisconsin, n.d. Web. 2 Mar 2016. http://humanities.wisc.edu/assets/misc/What‗Is‗Intertextuality.pdf
Nordquist, Richard. "Intertextuality." ThoughtCo, 6 Mar. 2020, www.thoughtco.com/what-is-intertextuality-1691077. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.