Product Description

Graham Allen's Intertextuality follows all the major moves in the term's history, and clearly explains how intertextuality is employed in a variety of theories from structuralism to deconstruction, marxism to psychoanaysis.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23869 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From the Back Cover

Graham Allen's Intertextuality follows all of the major moves in the term's history, and clearly explains how intertextuality is employed in:

• structuralism
• post-structuralism
• deconstruction
• postcolonialism
• marxism
• feminism
• psychoanalytic theory

With a wealth of illuminating examples from literary and cultural texts, including special examination of the World Wide Web, this book will prove invaluable for any students of literature and culture.

Customer Reviews

tracing intertexuality from Bakhtin to Barthes, via Kristeva
After tracing the 'origins' of the concept of intertextuality from Saussure and Bakhtin's dialogism, to Kristeva and Barthes, Allen gives a critical account of current controversies and developments of these ideas. He usefully illustrates his account with contemporary examples, fully referenced, from the fields of literature, art, theatre and dance. Allen is always illucidating and thorough.

Lucid and concise
If anybody needs a quick introduction into the meanders of modern literary theory, this book is an essential starting point. Around the topic of intertextuality, the author reviews modern theoretical contributions from Bakhtin to the poststructuralists that range far beyond the field of literature. Intertextuality, after all, is a cultural not a literary phenomenon. The book is highly readable, even enjoyable at times, and this is a major praise for a theoretical textbook. The series is also affordable and neatly presented. I recommend it unreservedly.

An excellent introduction to the topic
Although it is advertised as being for undergraduate use, I have used this book with doctoral students, who have found it to be extremely useful. Very well written and comprehensive treatment, easy to understand and yet well detailed discussion of the critical nuances, from Kristeva onwards. Highly recommended.