As you read this week, in the excerpts from David Lodge's book, The Art of Fiction, intertextuality and meta-narrative are two intriguing techniques that authors of fiction will sometimes use. The first - intertextuality - refers to when an author references (or mimics or gives a tip of the hat to) another book within their own work. Meta-narrative refers to when an author acknowledges the reader of the text (they refer to the reader as "you" and perhaps have a side conversation with the reader, like an aside in drama). Based on the novels and movies you know, please list two examples of works you are familiar with that use each technique (one example per technique). If you would like to comment on the effect of the technique in each work, please do so. That will be very valuable in discussions we have about intertextuality and meta-narrative in the future.
39 comments:
I'll go first. An example of a novel that uses intertextuality is the one I mentioned in class the other day: John Irving's A Prayer For Owen Meany, in which Irving writes a key scene as a pastiche of a key scene in Robertson Davies's novel Fifth Business. (You may remember I mentioned that both authors involve a female character getting hit in the head by an object, and having a major life change as a result. Davies used a snowball and Irving used a baseball.)
A movie that uses the meta-narrative technique is a most excellent movie from the '80s, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This is truly a classic and, if you haven't seen it, you should. The entertainment value is high (even if the morals involved are a little thin - it was made in the '80s, after all!). Ferris Bueller is the main character and he stops several times in the movie to stare at the screen and address the viewers to create the feeling that they are having a personal conversation with him. It affects the pace and rhythm of the story and makes viewers feel connected to Bueller.
I remember Simon Birch, a movie based on a Prayer for Owen Meany, was the first movie I ever cried for. Weirdly enough, it was at that scene where the woman got hit in the head with the baseball. It was honestly sad. COINKYDINK!
Another example I know of for intertextuality is the movie 10 Things I Hate About You which has the same storyline as Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, just with a modern twist (RIP Heath Ledger). Didn't really know about that comparison until my Dad pointed it out like twenty thousand times while I was watching it one time (that's what you get for having an English Teacher for a Dad). :)
For Metanarrative the best example I can think of is Emperor's New Groove..I'm sure I could think of a better example some other time but right now that's the best I've got. :) In that movie, the emperor guy always pauses the movie in a sense and talks to you as an audience. I think it adds to the humor of the movie in that case but in other cases it helps clarify different emotions. I like movies with metanarrative, it helps you to actually feel what the character is feeling, without all the descriptions that books would supply you with.
I think that intertexuality and meta-narrative both are very entertaining - especially meta-narrative! Intertexuality invites the reader to remember or recall something that they've already known - and realizing things is always fun :) Similarly, meta-narrative seeks connection with the narrator and the reader/viwer - and that's different than just reading or viewing from a third-peron perspective.
The best movie example(s) I can think of that uses intertexuality is the series of Scary Movie. Although Scary Movie is for entertainment and is often times inappropriate, the movie wouldn't exist without the references to other movies that do.
An example of meta-narrative used in television series is BARNEY :D
It's pretty obvious how Barney uses meta-narrative. The narrator plays with the kids and they learn and sing. However, the narrator also invites the viewers (children, I hope) to sing along or play with the crafts that they use on t.v. It's absolutely amazing and Barney isn't the only television show that does it. Blues Clues and ARTHUR sometimes does it as well. In this case, it's very entertaining towards children and it helps them to become acquainted with what's going on and learn what it's like to interact with others.
intertextuality.......
i must refer than to The Lord of the Flies of course. william golding creates a sarcastic version of the coral island and echos paradise lost. the ever-so-faithful and accurate wikipedia even says that
"Golding read 'The Coral Island' as he was growing up, and thought of Ballantyne as racist, since the book teaches that evil is associated with black skin and is external.[citation needed] In Chapter 11 of the original Lord of the Flies, Piggy calls Jack's tribe "a pack of painted niggers."[6] This was changed to "savages" in some editions and "Indians" in the mass media publication"
meta-narrative...
Blue's Clues ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hannah, my daughters would sympathize with the torture of having an English teacher as a parent! They get really tired of analyzing films, too. :)
Paula, I think your example of Lord of the Flies is a good pick for intertextuality. It is unfortunate that, when Golding wrote his version of the story, he didn't challenge the racist ideas he found in The Coral Island. The fact that publishers facilitated the use of racist language in the novel is also very disturbing and sad.
The novel is a great illustration of human nature and our propensity to descend into darkness quickly to ensure the survival of self. It's a scary picture of what humans are capable of. So maybe racism goes hand-in-hand with the base ugliness of human nature that Golding exposes.
Food for thought...
Intertextuality
An example that I can think of right now is "The Simpsons." One particular episode that I can think of right now is when the show made fun of the hit TV-show "Friends." Bart turns on TV and sees a bunch of Japanese people dancing in the water fountain (a parallel to the opening credits of the actual show.)
Right now, I can't think of a meta-narrative. I'll post another comment once I can remember one.
Meta-narrative
I'm not sure if this is the best example, but I think of the show "The Office." The actors would be in the show as if they weren't aware of the camera, but every once in awhile, each character would face the camera and talk to the audience as if they were being interviewed. This is certainly breaking "The Fourth Wall" addressing the viewers.
I can't think of any books on the top of my head, but I know a Spanish play that uses intertexuality. This play is simular to the story of Romeo and Juliet. It's called Blood Wedding. The two stories are simular in that they both deal with how family conficts become a barrier into two peoples' love for each other. I don't know if the author of Blood Wedding got the idea from Shakesphere though (so, would it not be considered as an example of intertextuality??)
An example of a movie that uses intertextuality is "Ever After". It's basically like a real life version of Cinderella without the magic.
A TV show that uses meta-narrative is "Saved by the Bell". Most people might not know this show because it was made in the early 90's, but in the show, the main character would suddenly says "time out", everybody would freeze and then he would talk to the audience.
Darn minsoo took my The Office example of meta-narrative. haha. OOh i just thought of an example, i dont know if many people know this show but it was on disney channel a lot.It's called 'Sister, Sister.' In this tv show, the two twin sisters talk directly to the camera as if in a conversation with us which gets the audience involved and makes them feel tied to the show.
An example of a movie that uses intertextuality is 'Superhero' because this movie is a mixture of the superheroes that were on previous movies. This enhances the contemporary style of the movie because it alludes to old myths about heroes.
Scary Movie. Like Joyce mentoined, the series is the ultimate example of intertextuality. There are various references to other movies, probably because the series is basically a parody of other movies.
If I remember correctly, Waiting for Godot uses meta-narrative. It was a long time ago so I am not very sure, but I think it made me feel like I was one of the people waiting for Godot. It allowed me to get more intimate with the characters because it felt like they were addressing me directly.
Also, Family Guy uses a lot of intertexuality. Many episodes contain references to books, movies, and people, illustrated in funny ways. That really heightens the comedy for viewers who see and understand the connection.
Darn GeeHee took my 'superhero' example. I did not get a chance to see this movie, but 'Meet the Spartans' is also a parody movie of '300.' As Joyce pointed out, most parody movies are for entertainment. However, these movies would be no fun without recognizing the references to other movies.
The only example I can think of for meta-narrative is the musical “Chicago.” It had two purposes for using meta-narrative. First, the show provided some background information about the characters. The actor/actress on the stage would often sing or directly talk to the audiences about his/her personal story. Also, meta-narrative was used to grab attention. After the break, the second half of the show began by a main character asking a question to the audiences. This definitely grabbed my attention and was able to focus until the end of the show.
I really can't think of an example for intertextuality...not from a novel at least.
Ah, well in Simpsons the Movie, there's a reference to Spider-man AND Harry Potter. In fact, the movie is FULL of outside references. However, those references are actually made to parody the original work, so I'm not sure if they could be considered as intertextuality. I know that Joyce also mentioned Scary Movie for using intertextuality, but my question is if parody is a type of intertextuality. I'm guessing that it is because a parody is still referring to an original work, but it's mainly to produce some kind of humor effect. Anyways,I'm sure they're are other examples of intertextuality, but I just can't remember any for now. Um...but, the effect of intertextuality, in the Simpsons Movies, is the accentuation of the humor. Uh..I think that's pretty much it. Or it could also work as a bigger symbol in the movie because the Simpsons series is FULL of symbolic satire. Here's a link to the scene with intertextuality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=714-Ioa4XQw
It's actually quite funny.
For meta-narrative, the very first example that came to my mind was Spider-man. Although meta-narrative is not used throughout the entire movie, it's definitely used to start and end the film. For me personally, I could relate to the protagonist really well because of the meta-narrative in the beginning of the movie. When Peter Parker starts his story by saying: "But let me assure you, this, like any other story worth telling, is all about a girl." This obviously points out that this movie, although is a popcorn flick with a superhero, is a love story. Well, like every other teenager with a craving for affection, this story deemed to be very relatable. I found it even easier to connect with the movie when the main character turned out to be an underdog. I guess I still am an underdog, not as much as I was before I was president, but my traits as a kid of solitude are still evident. Anyways, the meta-narrative was used quite effectively to start the movie, but the way it was used at the end was even better. The movie ends with basically the central message of the movie embedded in the last words of Peter Parker: "Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-man." Truly, we all hold gifts and curses, and often times our gift ARE our curses and vice versa. This movie reminded me of how my weaknesses work as strengths, especially when God works through me. Anyways, Spider-man is one of my favorite movies... It's just a great story of an underdog rising up to be a hero for all. I story that I want my to be... kind of. Well, not by my own will... not for my own self. But for a bigger cause. An eternal cause. Not for my own glory but for the One in Heaven.
Oh yea, and upon looking at some of the movies on my hdd, I realized that quite a number of movies use meta-narrative. Particularly to connect to the audience much more effectively. One great example, other than Spider-man, is the Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith. This movie, unlike Spider-man, has meta-narrative flowing through the entire movie. I thought it was quite neat as the meta-narrative was able to act as a bridge between the viewers and the movie itself. Ultimately, it was able to magnify the theme of the American Dream presented in the movie. Especially since the movie is based on a true story, viewers are able to hope and dream of success as a result of hard and diligent work. The movie is actually quite inspiring and hopeful. I recommend it to anyone! And especially you Mrs. Lavender! If you haven't watched it that is. In fact, all the movies I mentioned them are good! So, go watch them! You'll LOVE the Simpsons movie. Why? Because it's about environmental issues, and how we as a society neglects the problems we have caused.
Ah, okay. So this is all I will say for now..
Hm..oh yea, and I can't believe that NOBODY'S mentioned Gossip Girls as an example for meta-narrative. Not that I would know if it uses meta-narrative because I don't watch the show, but I've seen my sister watch it and the use of meta-narrative is quite obvious.
Ok.
Fin.
Oh yea, and you don't need an English teacher as a parent to analyze movies. My parents also analyze movies and try to find the theme of the movie. I do it too. In fact, I sometimes LOOK for cinematic devices, often related to literary devices, to support my train of thought. Just..sometimes, discussions lead to heated debates. During those times, I can REALLY feel the generation gap between myself and my parents because the way they approach movies with the lens they have is SO different from the way I approach movies. Ah...it's inevitable that our past experiences will affect the way we analyze work.
Yea, I SO think you can't get an A in English without analyzing the way Mrs. Lavender wants you to. Man, so subjective and bias.
hahahahaha no hard feelings Mrs. Lav =P
Hmm…man I stink at coming up with examples. Intertextuality…well, as of now the only thing that comes to mind is the poem or actually I guess poems we read. A number of those referenced another book. The next thing that comes to mind is parodies. Meet the Spartans is one and Superhero Movie is another. Truthfully, I would not know about these if it were not for my brother. He is really into parodies, which is why I was able to watch parts of both parodies abovementioned. Hmm…I am not sure about this example but I think Primo Levi’s book In Survival in Auschwitz is mentioned in Elie Wiesel’s Night. However, I may be completely wrong. I am not having any better luck with coming up with examples for meta-narratives either. However, I like meta-narratives in that it really does feel there is a side conversation going on. Oh! I thought of one, hopefully no one mentioned it already. Romeo and Juliet has meta-narrative going on in the beginning and end of the book. I think that it was used to just explicitly state that Romeo and Juliet is just a story and nothing more.
P.S. I am not recommending people to watch the parodies mentioned. I would suggest the opposite.
self-help books= meta-narrative fun...bluhh.
Stephan King= intertextuality (he always talks about his other novels,,,is that called arrogant-intertextuality?)
may I leave a comment just to have another chance to check-off the e-mail follow-up comments box?
k, thnks bai
wait, no;
John please stop the over-researching and do something constructive with your time
One example for intertextuality would be Scary movie as well. There were, i think, 5 Scary movies and they are all full of irony and remakes of other movies with a comedy twist. one example for meta-narrative is Lizzy Mcguire on the Disney Channel. It was interesting because in this show, the main character Lizzie had a cartoon that would make asides and talk to the audience so even if it wasn't the actual person, her "inner voice" did. There are alot of different movies and books that i have read that contain both these techniques but for some odd reason i can't remember them. However, i think it is interesting how alot of people mentioned examples for these techniques that were directed to younger people, either kids like shows on the Disney channel, or for teens liek the movie Scary movie.
Ahh I was going to use Scary Movie as an example of intertexuality but Michael and Helen already used it...That was the first thing that popped onto my mind when I heard the term "intertexuality" because it's basically a parody of many other scary movies.
The first novel that came to my mind was J.D.Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, in which the narrator constantly tells the reader how he feels about certain situations and criticizes everyone for being "phony". I think J.D. Salinger uses his character to express how he feels about society and the people in general. In the end, it is evident that the author is actually "talking" to the reader because in the last two chapters, after telling his story, he says "God, I wish you could've been there" and ends the novel by saying "About all I know is, I sort of miss everybody I told about. Even old Stradlater and Ackley, for instance. I think I even miss that goddam Maurice. It's funny. Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody." This use of meta-narrative definitely helped me to connect with the main character better and brought about some personal intimacy between the writer and the reader. This was one of my favorite novels :).
blake, i dont over research
heck, i dont even research
i just write whats on my mind
if what ive said sounds like its been "over-researched," well, i guess im a genius.
Example of a movie that uses intertextuality is the Epic Movie. It is a parody of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Also Shaun of the Dead is a movie that uses intertextuality and it is a parody of the movie Dawn of the Dead. Intertextuality can be a effective way to make a movie funny because people who know the original story will see the parody used in the film.
Example of a movie that uses meta-narrative is the Epic Movie. Characters in the film act like they are speaking to the audiences and question audiences too. The effect of using meta-narrative is that people can be part of the movie. I think if this movie did not use meta-narrative, it would have been a boring movie.
John, I have a plethora of hard feelings related to what you wrote. Me, biased?? Me, subjective?? So un-Canadian. ;)
Intertextuality... simpsons and family guy is already mentioned -_- i hate my life HAHA but yeah.. hm...OH the movie airplane is an example. I actually watched it with my friend who's really into movies that create disasters. (airplane crashes, ships sinking, etc.) He told me that within the movie, they are making fun of other disaster-making movies.
hmm for meta-narrative.. i couldn't realy think of one until i saw joyce's comment HAHAHA but one show that i can think of for meta-narrative is dora the explora. She goes on her adventure and do all these missions while constantly talks to the audience for help. I think meta-narrative is very effective in ways such as getting the audience (children) to participate in order to develop social skills. From what i remember, i used to actually respond to the tv shows... hehe. and i actually learned many words and correct my grammer through these kinds of shows. I think all child shows like these should use meta-narrative :)
oh.. and intertextuality is effective in making comedy movies because it shows us a different atmosphere of the movie that was compared with :)
The only example of intertextuality that I can think of is Scary Movie. It is quite humorous and ironic that change in character and plot can create drastically different mood and atmosphere. Moreover, I have also seen similar components within the fantasy movies, such as Lord of the Ring and Harry Potter. For these movies, I do not enjoy intertextuality, because the plot is predictable and I feel familiar to the idea. It almost seems as if the writers or movie directors are out of ideas, and I want innovations.
However, I find meta-narrative quite interesting. I cannot think of any American examples that uses meta-narrative, but most of Korean kids shows use meta-narrative in order to engage them. In musical term it would be similar to “call and response”. The character in the movie would call out to the audience, and the audience would response in a way. By using meta-narrative, it opens up a path for more connection between the movie character and the audience.
An example of inter-textuality in movies is Scary movie. I can’t think of any other movies right now… In Scary movie, most of the scenes are parodies of other movies. For example, in Scary movie 3, the girl talks to the Japanese boy that came out in the movie, Ju-on.
An example of meta-narrative used in TV is blue’s clues. In Blue’s clues, Steve invites the children in by asking them to write and draw in handy dandy notebook. Steve and the kids come together to find the clues. Meta-narrative is always fun because the viewer becomes a part of the show or the series.
I think many comedy TV shows rely heavily on intertextual references as a source of humor. Shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy use intertextual references frequently. Often times the writers of such TV shows try to make a sarcastic comment by using those references. I can also think of a couple of episodes from the show Friends where the writers incorporated real-life events into their scripts. By using intertextuality, I guess it sort of creates a semi-fictional, semi-reality kind of setting within in those shows.
An example of metanarrative would be many novels by Chuck Palahniuk. I have one of his books that I've stopped reading after chaper 2. I should finish it.
Intertextuality actually exists in a couple of movies like some people already states in Scary movie, when other movies like The Grudge is mimicked. Also I mean in the movie Meet the Spartans, the authors of the script mimic other movies and their characters and Mrs. Lavender you should see it is funny haha. Hmm meta-narrative is a bit hard but yeah I’m guessing like in Crash?? Because the author of the script goes through a lot of incidents that re happening while the viewers observe and are aware of the misjudgments and complex situations amongst the characters and maybe the true intentions of some of the individuals. In this manner, the author relates to me as a person to not judge people as deep down heir real intentions might differ. The viewer is also drawn into making conclusions about some of the characters like the bad and good cop and learns how we are often drawn into making wrong calls on people.
Intertextuality.
A movie that uses the intertextuality is one of the most famouse Disney movies of all time, Shrek. Shrek uses many different scenes and key ideas from previous Disney movies and famous fairy tales such as Snow White, Robbin Hood, Cinderella, etc. In Shrek, the director (or the story maker of the movie :D) effective uses the intertextuality to make this movie humorous with certain character's unique characteristics.
Meta-narrative
A movie that uses the meta-narrative is August Rush. In the beginning of the movie, the main character talks to the audience about how he feels about music. This technique was effectively used in this movie to show the audience how the main character is genius in a musical field. Since this movie’s main theme is heavily based on music, it was very important to stir the audience’s mind and for them to settle in a “musical world” before they begin watching the movie.
An example of intertextuality that I could think of was "Meet the Spartans," which is a parody of the movie "300." While "300" was serious and involved lots of actions, "Meet the Spartans" involve more comical scenes and a lot of parodies.
For meta-narrative, I could think of a Korean television show, "We got married" (우리 결혼했어요ㅋㅋ;;) In this show, there are several couples that are not virtually married. Here, the cameras show how the couples live as if there were no cameras, but often the virtually married members talk about their thoughts as if they are confessing to the viewers.
One work of using Inter-textuality is the movie called Scary Movie. This is a perfect example, because the work is primarily based on other works.
An example of meta-narrative is Lizzie McGuire. It is a unique example, because 1/3 of an episode is not meta-narrative ( it's just a normal television series), but the rest of the episode involves a cartoon character of the main character, and is talking to the audience.
The only example of intertextuality that comes up in my mind is Shrek. There are several Disney-featured characters in the movie including Pinnochio, seven dwarfs, etc. The movie also uses characters from children stories that many people are familiar with such as the wolf and grandma from Little Red Riding Hood and the cat from Puss in Boots. oh, and another example would be Scary Movie series, but my question for them is, are they parodied? or intertextuality? According to an online dictionary, intertextuality is shaping of texts' meanings by other texts. It can refer to an author’s borrowing and transformation of a prior text or to a reader’s referencing of one text in reading another. Would this definition fit for Scary Movies, as well as Shrek???
Meta-narrative technique.. Many TV shows for children use this technique because it helps children to understand better by talking to them. Examples are Blue's Clues and Barney.
I think that intertextuality is present in many written works. By reading the works of other writers, the style is adapted even unconsciously. I've realized that even my own writing is immensely affected by what I read. There are phrases and styles that appeal to me making me unconsciously and consciously copying the phrase or style.
An example of intertextuality is the Chronicles of Narnia or the Golden Compass series. The Chronicles of Narnia shows parallelism to the Bible. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is parallel to the arrival of Jesus to the resurrection of Jesus. The connection is very apparent because the arrival of Aslan is like the arrival of Jesus to Earth. Then Aslan gives up his life to save Edward which is similar to Jesus being crucified saving humans. Both characters are resurrected back to life again. The Golden Compass is similar to the Chronicles of Narnia and is purposely done so to go against Narnia.
A T.V. show that uses the meta-narrative technique is Lizzy McGuire. The main character has a little mini cartoon character of herself that always talks to the audience. This character shows the emotions and thoughts of Lizzy in an interesting way that only cartoon characters can portray.
I think that intertextuality is present in many written works. By reading the works of other writers, the style is adapted even unconsciously. I've realized that even my own writing is immensely affected by what I read. There are phrases and styles that appeal to me making me unconsciously and consciously copying the phrase or style.
An example of intertextuality is the Chronicles of Narnia or the Golden Compass series. The Chronicles of Narnia shows parallelism to the Bible. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is parallel to the arrival of Jesus to the resurrection of Jesus. The connection is very apparent because the arrival of Aslan is like the arrival of Jesus to Earth. Then Aslan gives up his life to save Edward which is similar to Jesus being crucified saving humans. Both characters are resurrected back to life again. The Golden Compass is similar to the Chronicles of Narnia and is purposely done so to go against Narnia.
A T.V. show that uses the meta-narrative technique is Lizzy McGuire. The main character has a little mini cartoon character of herself that always talks to the audience. This character shows the emotions and thoughts of Lizzy in an interesting way that only cartoon characters can portray.
One example of intertextuality is "Holiday", a Korean movie. It mocks the Korean society during late 1980s when Korea opened 1988 Olympics in Seoul and when President Jeon eliminated all the poor villages in Seoul just to let the foreigners who come to Korea for sports competition to receive a good impression.
One example of meta-narrative is "Home Alone". The main character, Kevin, talks with the audience at the beginning of the movie.
well to comment on racism in lotf: roger, the amoral sidekick of jack's and symbollic satan is described as dark skinned.
yay, the golden compass came up.
awesomeness.
Hmm, I think I've read or saw many books or tv shows which portrayed intertexuality or metanarrative.
I can't think of them vividly right now....ahaha what's wrong with my memories....
Oh, I can think of some now. Many Korean wisdom comic books or books related to social knowledge or wisdom use intertexuality. Many folk stories that come out of these books are generally from Talmud or wisdom from other countries-adjusted to Korean culture. If I read these Korean books it is just too obvious for me to notice the usage of intertexuality and read the book with indifference.
For metanarrative....hmm
I can only think of animations in which the main character will draw the viewers into their own perspective and ask an opinion.
The main character talks as if there is a third eye in the story and talks in such manner as well.
I believe movie parodies and comedy shows are good examples of metanarrative as well. Comedians and actors try to engage with the invincible third person and this interaction gives more fun to the viewers.
I think everyone else has taken all the examples of intertextuality and meta-narrative that I know....hmmm well an example intertextuality is the poem "I meant to have but modest needs" because it refernces the bible verse "whatsoever you shall ask, itself be give you". Meta-narrative is used in the Lizzie Mcguire show and Gossip Girls.
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