Intertextuality

Definition

Intertextuality is the interconnectedness of texts, where the meaning of one text is shaped by its relationship to other texts. It is a key concept in postmodern literary theory, highlighting how texts do not exist in isolation but are inherently influenced by and referential to other works.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Intertextuality emphasizes that texts do not exist in isolation, but are shaped by their relationship to other texts that precede or follow them.
2. Postmodern authors often employ intertextuality to challenge traditional notions of originality and authorship, blurring the boundaries between texts.
3. Intertextual references can take the form of direct quotations, allusions, parodies, or the incorporation of characters, plots, or themes from other works.
4. The concept of intertextuality undermines the idea of a single, stable meaning within a text, as meaning is instead seen as fluid and dependent on the reader's understanding of the web of references.
5. Intertextuality is a key aspect of postmodern literature, which often self-consciously engages with and reworks existing texts, genres, and cultural forms.

Review Questions

• Explain how the concept of intertextuality challenges traditional notions of authorship and originality.
  • The concept of intertextuality challenges traditional notions of authorship and originality by asserting that texts do not exist in isolation, but are inherently shaped by their relationships to other texts. Postmodern authors often employ intertextual techniques, such as pastiche and allusion, to deliberately blur the boundaries between their own work and the works that have come before, undermining the idea of a single, stable meaning within a text. This suggests that authorship is not a solitary act of creation, but rather a process of recontextualization and recombination, where meaning is fluid and dependent on the reader's understanding of the web of references.
• Analyze how the concept of intertextuality relates to the broader context of postmodernism.
  • Intertextuality is a key concept in postmodern literary theory, as it aligns with the postmodern rejection of many of the ideas and values of modernism. Postmodernism challenges the notion of objective and universal truths, and intertextuality reflects this by suggesting that meaning is not fixed or inherent within a text, but is instead shaped by its relationship to other texts. The postmodern emphasis on fragmentation, pastiche, and the blurring of boundaries between high and low culture is also reflected in the intertextual practices of many postmodern authors, who incorporate and rework existing texts, genres, and cultural forms. In this way, intertextuality is a central aspect of the postmodern project, which seeks to destabilize traditional notions of authorship, originality, and meaning.
• Evaluate the significance of intertextuality in shaping the reader's understanding and interpretation of a postmodern text.
  • Intertextuality is crucial in shaping the reader's understanding and interpretation of a postmodern text, as it requires the reader to engage with the web of references and relationships that exist between the text and other works. By recognizing and making connections to the intertextual elements within a postmodern text, the reader is able to participate in the construction of meaning, rather than simply receiving a fixed or predetermined interpretation. This active engagement with the text's intertextual references encourages the reader to question traditional notions of authorship and originality, and to consider how meaning is fluid and dependent on the reader's own cultural and literary knowledge. Ultimately, the reader's ability to navigate the intertextual landscape of a postmodern text is essential for developing a nuanced and critical understanding of the work.

Related terms

Postmodernism:

A broad movement in thought, the arts, architecture, and criticism that from the 1960s to the 2010s rejected many of the ideas and values of modernism, particularly the belief that there are objective and universal truths.

Hypertextuality: The relationship between a text and the texts it explicitly cites, incorporates, or references.

Pastiche:

A work of art, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists, often with satirical or ironic intent.