Early modern intertextuality: Post-structuralism, narrative systems, and a Midsummer night’s dream

Abstract

This introductory chapter sets out the monograph’s argument: that the theory of intertextuality is extremely valuable in analysing texts of the early modern period due to the focus and prioritisation of the creative imitation of classical and contemporary texts. How meaning is created and conveyed through intertextual reference is foregrounded. The introduction suggests that intertextuality has become somewhat reduced in theoretical terms to be used to convey simplistic identification of sources and advocates a return to the poststructuralist theoretical understanding. The chapter engages with some recent critics, outlines the theory, identifies similar concepts in classical literary theory, introduces various elements of early modern writing receptive to an intertextual analysis, and provides a case study, analysing A Midsummer Night’s Dream through an intertextual lens.