The significance of intertextuality in travelogues: a narratological analysis

Intertextuality involves a complex network of connections between texts, ranging from direct quotations and allusions to subconscious influences and parodies. Intertextuality also involves assumptions about the reader, the situation being referenced, and its context. "The concept of intertextuality, as described by Riffaterre [11.p25], revolves around the reader's perception of the relationship between a literary work and others that have come before or after it. Riffaterre even suggests that intertextuality is integral to the nature of literature itself, stating that "it is the specific mechanism by which literary reading produces meaning, as opposed to linear reading, which produces meaning only, and is common to both literary and non-literary texts. Every literary text has meaning, and every reader seeks to extract it. Based on the reader's background knowledge, each reader interprets the text differently. It is now believed that literary works consist of systems, a variety of codes and traditions established by previous literary works. Moreover, scholars assume that texts, whether literary or non-literary, are now considered by modern theorists to be devoid of any independent meaning [1. p36]. Intertextuality within the travel narratives creates this chain of tradition within the genre [12.p96]. Therefore, the definition of intertextual elements plays a crucial role in the analysis of travelogues. It also builds a bridge between the writer, the narrator, and the traveler from a narratological point of view, each of whom had a strong background knowledge from previous writers.