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Intertextuality: Ways of Reading

Introduction: This activity encourages you to explore texts in new ways. Critical theory is simply another way of reading texts, and intertextuality examines the relationship between texts. It can be helpful to think of literature as an echo chamber, where texts reverberate and react to one another. For example, Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre is a much loved romance but also utilizes the quest plot popularized by John Bunyan’s seventeenth century religious text The Pilgrim’s Process. The intertextual relationship between these two novels is important as it highlights the Christian message in Jane Eyre, and partially explains Bronte’s moral agenda. As the definition detailed, intertextuality is often taught as an introduction to more complicated forms of literary theory, and can refer to an obvious literary allusion within a text, a re-write of an earlier text or an unconscious reference to another form of text. So, Jane Smiley’s novel A Thousand Acres, a re-imagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear set in the American Midwest, would be an example of intertextuality, as would Biblical references in any work. Intertextuality can also be used to explore other media. You may have noticed that the online article discussed the film The Matrix and even the way The Simpsons incorporates many references to popular culture, for instance. In The Simpsons in particular, intertextuality is usually used for comic effect. For example, we laugh at jokes about Star Trek because we are familiar with this well-known franchise. It makes The Simpsons seem more “real” and authentic to have references to television shows, books or plays that its audience will be able to recognize. In a similar way, Madonna’s 2005 single “Hung Up” sampled the introduction to ABBA’s famed 1970s hit “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” to reinforce Madonna’s intention to produce a disco track. Intertextuality in literature works in a very similar way, and by tracing the routes of the literary references or allusions, we often learn more about the text we are analyzing.

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An Example of Intertextual Analysis: Read Langston Hughes’ 1949 poem “Democracy” below: Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear. I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my two feet And own the land. I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread. Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need. I live here, too. I want freedom Just as you.

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Hughes was an African American political poet most famous for his poetry in the pre-Civil Rights era of American history. “Democracy” is one of many poems in which he articulates the plight of African Americans. His message is clear, calling for immediate action and wryly commenting that, “I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.” His metrical fluency and imaginative use of rhythm (look, for example, how the beat changes from stanza to stanza) earned him a reputation as the “Jazz Poet”. Buried beneath the clever use of language in this innovative lyric, however, is an interesting use of intertextuality. In the third stanza, the speaker states that: “I tire so of hearing people say, / Let things take their course. / Tomorrow is another day.” This seems straightforward enough - yet you may have recognised that “Tomorrow is another day” is a famous line from Gone With The Wind. Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel was published in 1936 and the multiple Oscar-winning film was released three years later. The novel tells the story of the feckless Scarlett O’Hara against the violent backdrop of the American Civil War (1861-65). The film version in particular utilised Scarlett’s self-help phrase of “Tomorrow is another day” to illustrate her steely determination and it is famously the last line of the film when Rhett Butler (played by Clark Gable) finally leaves her.

So why would Langston Hughes allude to a famous film and novel in his poem about the battle for civil rights? It becomes clearer after researching Gone With the Wind’s production history. Mitchell was criticised for her portrayal of African Americans as they tend to appear throughout the text as cowardly and stupid slaves. Scarlett’s racist language (although fairly typical of the historical period) has also been well documented. More importantly, the African American characters seem to embody the “happy slave” archetype, eager to serve Scarlett. This was how slavery was often justified in the States and Mitchell’s depiction of slavery received heavy criticism from pro-Civil Rights quarters. As such, it is hugely significant that Hughes uses a famous line from a book and film notorious for its portrayal of race. By using this intertextual reference, Hughes makes his poem more immediate and relevant and also critiques current attitudes to African Americans. He argues that the attitudes prevalent in such popular fare as Gone With the Wind are inherently wrong, and that urgent action is needed to ascertain rights for African Americans, and ends the poem

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depiction of slavery received heavy criticism from pro-Civil Rights quarters. As such, it is hugely significant that Hughes uses a famous line from a book and film notorious for its portrayal of race. By using this intertextual reference, Hughes makes his poem more immediate and relevant and also critiques current attitudes to African Americans. He argues that the attitudes prevalent in such popular fare as Gone With the Wind are inherently wrong, and that urgent action is needed to ascertain rights for African Americans, and ends the poem with a call for freedom. As such, exploring the intertextual reference within the poem actually helps us to understand Hughes’ political intentions more clearly, and considerably aids our analysis of the poem.

Langston Hughes at work Remember that your exploration of intertextuality doesn’t have to end here? How many more texts can you analyse in this way? How does this aid your understanding of them? Good luck!