Intertextuality can be defined as the constant interaction between texts. This interaction leads to multiple layers of meaning for all characters, plots, and settings.
Oedipus the King, the great tragedy by Sophocles, can be simply described as two men desperately attempting to alter the future predicted by the Oracle of Delphi. This basic plot outline can be found in Ryan North's Machine of Death. In North's novel, a machine prints out a slip of paper with a single word summarizing the death of the machine-user. This modern oracle leads to the modern reincarnation of Oedipus and his father, King Laius. Several people, horrified by the machine's predictions, desperately try to prevent the prophesied deaths from occurring. Although I have not read this book, and only know about it through Sean, the connection between these books is fairly obvious. When reading Machine of Death, I believe the intertextual connection will allow me to think of the short stories in a deeper perspective, instead of as an entertaining read.
When thinking of a connection with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and a modern art, most tend to think of West Side Story, the fifties and sixties adaption of Romeo and Juliet. Yet, there is another novel with ties to Shakespeare's play. S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders contains strong references to the later scenes of Romeo and Juliet. Just as Romeo feels obligated to fight Tybalt after the murder of his friend, Johnny attacks the Soc attempting to drown his friend Ponyboy. Both defensive acts result in the death of the original attacker and the exile of the friend acting as the hero. Although Ponyboy and Johnny do not have flaming romances in the society from which they leave, they do have a strong brotherhood with the fellow greasers. Upon the death of Romeo and Johnny their respective "lovers" commit suicide as they feel they can not live without the other. The brotherly love as well as the tragic ending in both works provides a strong intertextual connection. This connection helped when reading Romeo and Juliet as I was able to think of the plot in terms of a more modern setting which helped to counteract the difficult language of the play.
Fairy-Tale Parallel
Lemuel Gulliver, the luckiest or perhaps unluckiest literary figure, shares his adventures in the four part Gulliver's Travels. The first voyage in Gulliver's odyssey, his adventure in the tiny world of Lilliput, has interesting parallels with Jack and the Beanstalk, the classic fairy-tale. These parallels do not stop at the obvious big versus little saga. The giant in the fairy-tale uses his bulk to easily defeat any "Englishmen" venturing into his realm. Perhaps on purpose (due to the satirical nature of the novel) Swift created the opposite interaction in his classic. Gulliver appeared too incompetent to use his might crush the tiny egotistical beings of Lilliput. He repeatedly allows the Lilliputians to control him with their "dizzying intellect" despite their size. However, despite the completely different interactions between the characters, the giants always seem to lose. The giant is ruthlessly murdered by Jack, while Gulliver is almost poisoned to death by the tiny Lilliputians. Whether or not Swift intended these parallels to exist is nearly impossible to determine. Yet, the parallels between the novel and the fairy-tale create an interesting reiteration of the classic moral: brains always trumps brawn.
