Prompt #3

          The significance of intertextuality lies with the message which the author is trying to convey. Foster provides the example of Tim O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato, in which he ties Sarkin Aung Wan, the love interest of the main character who is well versed in not only the foreign language of Vietnamese but also the terrain of Vietnam, with Sacajawea. What results is the reader associating the services which Sacajawea provides to Lewis and Clark with the role Aung Wan plays in the novel.  This connection establishes layers and depth to the story allowing the author to say more with less. The archetype of a guide implies the severity to which the main characters are lost without O’Brien having to directly explain it.

          Intertextuality exists at a variety of depths and requires varying levels of foreknowledge and thought to unearth; a simple allusion such as phrase “the wrath of Achilles” may come automatically, while it may not be so easy to pull out a reference to Demeter and Persephone through a story about a garden party. As a result of this, Intertextuality is both intentional and serendipitous. Due to the nature of literature, the author may include dialogue with another text for reader to discover, but at the same time the reader might find dialogue with other texts where the author did not intend it. Such is the “one big story”. Once a writer has come into contact with a work, it will inevitably find its way into the writer’s creation for a reader to discover. 

Comments

  1. Ncoleman43776July 30, 2017 at 9:23 AM

    I agree that the significance of intertextuality is all about what the author is trying to accomplish. If he/she wants to have a little hidden secret relating to another story it tends to not be as significant. If a reader comes across these and realizes it then they may chuckle or appreciate the reference, but not much more than that. But on the other hand, if the author wants an enormous impact, he/she can use it to create giant plot twists to help keep the story flowing. The impact of this is all dependent on what the author wants from it.

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  2. UnknownJuly 30, 2017 at 12:20 PM

    I think that you're totally right about the varying depths of intertextuality between pieces because it’s like Foster says there is no guarantee that the readers have read any specific works prior to that author's work. I also think that readers will often find references to other texts where none was intended or was unconsciously included. However like Foster says in his book it is usually safe to assume that the author thought of the allusion due to the time that is spent writing a novel.

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  3. Jobe FegusonJuly 31, 2017 at 6:39 PM

    I concur that a printed association is essential in writing, it builds up the capacity for the peruser to additionally comprehend what they are perusing and build up their own particular musings and viewpoint on the current point. In any case I see the method utilized by the creator as not so much deliberate but rather more unavoidable being that associations are to be made in any case. It is simply a question of what associations and how the peruser chooses to see them. Likewise, your case is exceptionally fascinating and associates with your point amazingly well. Its decent to perceive how this happened notwithstanding amid the more seasoned ages and see this in something as verifiably powerful as for instance the book of scriptures, which is an example diffused amongst a robust variety of writing.

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