Intertextuality on a Spectrum

The author has a lot of material to use in his text and isn’t really afraid to point out the obvious connections within different texts over and over again throughout. Foster backtracks to previous parts of his text to get many points through to his audience. He also uses the same stories repeatedly to where it may seem too repetitive, but Foster still gets his message out as clear as day.

Foster realizes how each and every piece of literature can connect directly and/or indirectly. All of these connections are what Foster referred to as “intertextuality,” which in itself seems like a play on the words intertwined, text, and similarity. Foster lays all this out as if all literature can be placed on one whole spectrum that sums up one whole story. In several sections of the book, Foster edges towards an idea that all forms of literature could be a part of just one story. He suggests that most writers add to this one story through additions or edits, to which he gives good examples such as stories borrowing from Shakespeare, fairy tales, and biblical texts.

Throughout, the book gives off a sense that intertextuality can be both intentional and serendipitous. Foster goes on to say that, when writing, some people go off from memory or make similar pieces without prior knowledge. It could all be up for interpretation too, as Foster and his readers may not really know what a specific author was thinking as they wrote their pieces. The deal with intertextuality is that it will likely occur in some way or another. It also may take a keen eye and memorization to find every one of those little details.

In a sense, intertextuality doesn’t always show up in literature. It also shows up in life through means of innovation--technology, data, and here, literature. Usually when looking at a “mythic” level, intertextuality usually backtracks to the origin of what is being borrowed.