Brandon 2
KitaIntertextuality- What is it?
November 16th 2007 06:06
Intertextuality is the idea that no text (texts being defined as anything that can be 'read' including books, movies, images and music) exists independent of other texts. Some examples of this may include references to other movies in comedy, especially references to classic moments such as the Marylin Monroe Dress scene.
Here are some more examples in film;
Intertextuality can be used for a number of purposes-
Humor. Many jokes play off intertextuallity by offering variations of what we understand to be 'true' in other texts (such as the above Harry Potter parody portraying Hagrid as short) or by playing off our existing understandings to offer humor that requires prior knowledge of a text - such as an image of Luke Skywalker, Princess Lei and Darth Vader on the Jerry Springer show - an image requiring knowledge of Star Wars and Jerry Springer to understand the humor. Films like Hoodwinked also use subversion of prominent texts such as fairy tails to create humor.
Symbolism - When trying to create a text with a moral, it's important to avoid confusing your reader or viewer. One way of doing this is by indicating that your message bears some similarity with some other text's message. The Japanese anime film Jin-Roh: Wolves in Human Armour plays very heavily on the fable of Little Red Riding Hood. further, certain Artworks pay Homage to other artworks such as the multiple interpretations of 'The Last Supper', often utilising it's symbolic meaning.
Criticism. Often we may see moments in film repeated in order to highlight the cheesy or unnatural nature of these moments. One example often used in jest is the slow motion 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO'.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR OUR WRITING?
Every text we write, every story or poem is to some degree, intertextual. Even if we do not generally allude to another text, we still tend to use the genre-specific forms of another author, or even their style. A western, by it's very nature, is intertextual as it is a genre influenced by a long tradition within writing.
The challenge we face as writers ,is how to integrate intertextuality into our work in a way that enhances it as an independent piece, rather than permitting it to become an imitation of others work.
This will be more explored in my next post on intertextuality.
MONROE IMAGE
MONROE HOLDER
LAST SUPPER
The Original Image from 'The Seven Year Itch'
A holder paying tribute to the above image - to understand this you would need to have previous knowledge of the above film or 'text'. Hence the reference is intertextual.
Here are some more examples in film;
Intertextuality can be used for a number of purposes-
Humor. Many jokes play off intertextuallity by offering variations of what we understand to be 'true' in other texts (such as the above Harry Potter parody portraying Hagrid as short) or by playing off our existing understandings to offer humor that requires prior knowledge of a text - such as an image of Luke Skywalker, Princess Lei and Darth Vader on the Jerry Springer show - an image requiring knowledge of Star Wars and Jerry Springer to understand the humor. Films like Hoodwinked also use subversion of prominent texts such as fairy tails to create humor.
Symbolism - When trying to create a text with a moral, it's important to avoid confusing your reader or viewer. One way of doing this is by indicating that your message bears some similarity with some other text's message. The Japanese anime film Jin-Roh: Wolves in Human Armour plays very heavily on the fable of Little Red Riding Hood. further, certain Artworks pay Homage to other artworks such as the multiple interpretations of 'The Last Supper', often utilising it's symbolic meaning.
Andy Warhol's Painting 'The Last Supper' uses the subversion of Leonardo Da Vinci's Image of the same name to provide a social commentary.
Criticism. Often we may see moments in film repeated in order to highlight the cheesy or unnatural nature of these moments. One example often used in jest is the slow motion 'NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO'.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT FOR OUR WRITING?
Every text we write, every story or poem is to some degree, intertextual. Even if we do not generally allude to another text, we still tend to use the genre-specific forms of another author, or even their style. A western, by it's very nature, is intertextual as it is a genre influenced by a long tradition within writing.
The challenge we face as writers ,is how to integrate intertextuality into our work in a way that enhances it as an independent piece, rather than permitting it to become an imitation of others work.
This will be more explored in my next post on intertextuality.
MONROE IMAGE
MONROE HOLDER
LAST SUPPER
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Ms Norm Jean;
Love is caring.
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The man who adores a loose tie is a man none!
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