This is my response to Question 2 (King Solomon wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun .” Foster applies this precept saying that all “writing and telling belong to one big story.” What does he mean by this? How does this idea add to understanding and the richness of the reading experience? How have you seen this principle in action in your own experience with art in general?).
Foster uses an eel analogy on pages 27 and 28 to explain his previous statement that all writing tells one big story. He explains the world of literature as a barrel of eels and each new writing is a teeming life added to the barrel. This means that each new writing adds to and derives from the same one story. Foster explains that, “Stories grow out of other stories, poems out of other poems” (Foster 28). He further states that poems can grow from stories or plays, etc. Noticing the comparisons and parallels requires practicing. Practicing not only requires reading, but also thinking in depth about the text. Connections are revealed through reading and practicing thinking like a literature professor. Foster explains that these connections can be subtle, direct, ironic, comical, or tragic. By finding and understaning connections and parallels, readers can further understand the purpose of the text and be more enriched by the text. Foster also notes the “Aha! factor” of noticing the similarities and comparisons through texts. This “Aha! Factor” is what adds to the richness of the text and the ability to fully understand the text. An example of this that comes to my mind is the musical Into the Woods. Into the Woods is a Broadway production that is a crossover between different classic fairy tales. Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and various princes both help and hinder the quest of the main characters. The writer of the musical uses the foundation of classical fairy tales and adapts them into a new story. There is also a movie adapted from the musical which uses the musical as the foundation making its own adaptations for the big screen. Without the background knowledge from the other fairy tales, it very difficult to understand the purpose and message the musical is trying to send.
I believe that the novel idea of the concept of originality and the concept of intertextuality both correlate in definition. Throughout Foster’s book, he stresses the idea that nothing is original, and that all ideas stem from one another in terms of themes, expressions, and plot. This is so important to understand, especially in terms of intertextuality, because it emphasizes the impact that other references and stories have upon the writing and reading processes. That each writer and reader encompasses their own predisposition in terms of mindset, which could impact how a story is interpreted. In terms of symbolism, Foster states,
ReplyDelete“We want it to mean something...one thing for all of us and for all time...But that handiness would result in a net loss: the novel would cease to be what it is, a network of
meanings and significations that permits a nearly limitless range of possible interpretations”
(106). How we interpret things may vary, but everything is derived from something else, which aids in the interpretation process. So as everything is accumulated into one big story, the process of intertextuality allows ideas to collide with other, thus making a new story for one to explore.
I really like your reference to Foster's eel analogy. Your explanation of how the new eels not only come from the contents of the barrel, but also add to it, helped me better understand that point. Earlier, I thought that these new stories were only mere variations of the previously established story, but now I see that they also add to this story. But then this makes me wonder; wouldn't these stories have to contain at least some original elements? And is the existence of these elements enough to consider the story original? I also think it's really interesting how the production of "Into the Woods" draws from all these other stories, and manages to make a new one out of them. It's amazing to see how intertextuality has such a widespread application.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, there has to be some originality to a piece otherwise every book or work of art would be the same.
DeleteJust like Khaled, I really like your use of Foster’s eel analogy. I did the same prompt and used one of his other analogies that comes later in the book, and it is really interesting to see how different examples from the same author can produce both similar and differing ideas of the same topic. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the prompt, it helped me see Foster’s analogies through a different mind, and honestly shows how intertextuality and different mindsets work in writings like our blogs too! I also think the use of Into the Woods is an extremely good example, showing how it was derived from so many classic stories into a modern musical and an even more modern movie.
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