allintertestualità

All’intertestualità (intertestualità) is a concept in literary studies describing how a text relates to other texts. It posits that meaning arises from the dialogue between works, through quotation, allusion, parody, pastiche, translation, or adaptation, and through the reuse and reconfiguration of prior signs.

The term originates with Julia Kristeva, who in the 1960s argued that a text is a mosaic of quotations drawn from other texts, and that every utterance absorbs, transforms, and is in turn absorbed by its cultural environment. Bakhtin’s ideas of dialogism and heteroglossia also influenced the field, emphasizing voices and intertextual exchange within discourse.

Intertextuality operates in various modes. Some references are explicit and recognizable, others are indirect and cryptic, and still others are structural or stylistic, shaping how readers interpret a work by situating it in a web of allusions. The concept is used not only to study literature but also to analyze film, music, and digital media, where intertextual references form networks of meaning.

Functionally, intertextuality can honor tradition, critique it, or play with readers’ expectations. It invites readers to recall other texts and to see connections across genres, periods, and cultures. Critics have debated the boundaries of intertextuality, distinguishing it from mere plagiarism or homage and addressing its implications for authorship and originality in the contemporary media landscape.

Examples include T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, Italo Calvino’s metafiction, and Umberto Eco’s novels, which intertwine literary and encyclopedic references. In the digital age, intertextuality expands through fan fiction, remix culture, and cross-media storytelling.