Intertextuality is the concept that all stories do not occur in a vacuum. It wagers that all stories include some sort of detail, be it characters or plot, that are sourced from past stories, be them the classics or historical fact.
Here are a few examples where I’ve experienced this being used:
In the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, by Rick Riordan, he uses Greek gods and monsters to build characters and cause tension. These are obviously taken from Greek Mythology. In history classes in the past, we have studied greek mythology and the famous gods and monsters. This helped me better understand the dynamic of Riordan’s series.
In the Inheritance cycle, by Christopher Paolini, a book about dragon riders uses plot elements from Star Wars. A humble boy is suddenly thrown into being the chosen one of rare abilities, he must join rebel forces to defeat an evil empire, in a final battle, the hero must defeat the most powerful of these ability users. Being able to draw the similarities between the book and the known popular movies affected my predictions of what would happen next, and see the character dynamics.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, draws similarities to the Bible. Throughout the book, there is a balance between good and evil similar to biblical prospects. Edmund is tempted by the white which to join her side. Lator, he is forgiven by Aslan, who calls him “son of Adam”. At one point Aslan is killed and resurrected, which also is similar to the biblical aspects of Jesus Christ. I am familiar with the christian faith, so it was interesting to see the connection to a fantasy story.
Excellent analysis and application here, Zach. Good work - I appreciate the variety of stories you looked at, as well, which shows that you are looking beyond the first thought that might come to mind. Very well done! We'll talk about these.
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