intertextuality

American  

[in-ter-teks-choo-al-i-tee] / ˌɪn tərˌtɛks tʃuˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

1. the interrelationship between texts, especially works of literature; the way that similar or related texts influence, reflect, or differ from each other.

   the intertextuality between two novels with the same setting.

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Usage

What does intertextuality mean? Intertextuality refers to the way that works of art, especially literature, are related and influence each other. Text, in this context, most often refers to a work of literature, like a book or poem, but it can be any creative work, such as a film, song, painting, or speech. Intertextuality often involves things like the similarities and differences between two pieces, but it can also cover a broad range of relationships between different works. Intertextuality is primarily used in literary and cultural criticism and analysis. Example: In this class, we’ll examine the intertextuality between Hamlet and The Lion King.

Other Word Forms

• intertextual adjective
• intertextually adverb

Etymology

Origin of intertextuality

1970–75; < French intertextualité < inter- inter- + textuel textual + -ité -ity

Example Sentences

Kristeva, the mother of intertextuality, has insisted that she never heard that “whimsical pseudonym” before her dossier came to light, and that may be the case.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 5, 2018

You might use intertextuality to comment on the original poem, for example, or alter it in such a way that it moves into your own lived experience.

From The Guardian • Sep. 9, 2017

But for the most part, this intertextuality is a layering — not of meaning, as you might expect, but of distance from it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2016

The video is a model of pop-culture intertextuality that makes a virtue out of its wide-ranging sampling, and much of its fun came from peeling its thickly layered influences.

From New York Times • Nov. 20, 2014

"Your dissertation on Joycean intertextuality is sick, bro."

From Slate • Nov. 20, 2013