Intertextuality

Intertextuality doesn't look like a real word, but trust me it is. It basically means taking one form of text, (book, movie, idea) and mixing it together with something else to create something new and creative. You might not think of a lot of things as being intertextual, but it can actually be quite surprising. In the article we read in class called "Bootleg Culture" intertextuality was part of what the author talked about with taking to works and mixing them together. The article also talked about plagiarizing works, but mostly about taking music and mixing it with more music to make a new song and how Copy Rights are tough to work with, but usual lead to creative new products that are better than what they would have been the first time.

For example, in class our professor showed us images of pez that looked like The Simpsons, Chubaka as a lego, and Harry Potter with a theme park. At first we may just think these things are nothing more then fun places to go or cool advertising ideas, and while they are, they are also a completely new product that is a mix of two things we as consumers have already grown to love. Now that there is a name to all the interesting mix of products out there, I am happily surprised at how much of popular culture is intertextual. I myself have several products of One Direction that are intertextual. I've got bracelets, magnets, stickers and a few more things that are very interesting, but that isn't all. I have seen a show I watch do it many times, but one particular set of episodes really stands out to me. Family Guy is a cartoon show and it's quite clear from the effort and time put into the episodes it shows that the creators love Star Wars.

I have actually seen this episodes and it is quite good. Anyway, I think this is a really clear depiction of intertextuality. It's basically a big sore thumb sticking out to fans of the show and the movies. The episodes follow the basic structure of the movies, but with the shows characters playing the roles in the movie and a few typical Family Guy scenes thrown in.

I like intertextuality and I'm actually really interested in finding more mix ups with popular culture, especially since pop culture is everywhere and part of every day life. I'll be keeping my eyes open from now on.