Intratextuelle

Intratextuelle refers to a set of relationships and effects that occur within a single text, as opposed to references to other works (intertextuality). The concept is used in literary theory and narratology to describe how a work echoes, repeats, or reorganizes its own material to create coherence, structure, and meaning.

Key features of intratextualité include self-reference, repetition of phrases or motifs, and the recurrence of episodes, characters, or events across different parts of the same work. It also encompasses internal allusions, foreshadowing, parallel or mirrored narratives, and self-commentary on the text’s own form or composition. These devices can reinforce thematic unity, highlight central ideas, or draw attention to the author’s craft.

In theoretical terms, intratextualité is often contrasted with intertextualité and is discussed within narratology and structuralist approaches. It emphasizes how a text builds meaning through its internal architecture—how motifs accumulate, recur, and transform within the narrative rather than through external quotation or imitation of other works.

Scholars such as Gérard Genette have contributed to formal discussions of intratextualité as part of a broader typology of textual relations. Useful for analysis are questions about how internal repetitions shape readers’ interpretation, how form and content interact, and how intratextual devices contribute to the work’s overall unity and impact. Notable examples appear in modern and classic literature, where recurring motifs or self-referential scenes illuminate overarching themes.