Intertextual+Rupture


 * Greg Raupp, Patrick Ziesmer, and Sam Showers**

Intertextual rupture is a deviation in the text that stands out against other intentionally comparable texts.

In the book //The Plot Against America// by Philip Roth, one good example of intertextual rupture occurson page 301. "//Drawn from the Archives of Newark's Newsreel Theater Tuesday, October 6, 1942..."// This is an intertextual rupture when the intertextual grid of other novels is used. The standard format in which novels are written is prose, however at this point in Roth's story, he chooses to tell the tale through a series of exerpts from a newsreel.

Another example intertextual rupture in the book The Plot Against America by Philip Roth, is on page 178 when FDR is giving a speech to a crowd and begins his famous words "The only things we have to fear," FDR told his audience-recalling the opening seven words of a sentence as renowned as any ever spoken at a first inaugural-"is the obsequious yielding to his Nazi friends by Charles A. Lindbergh." The reader expects FDR to say his famous words when he was first elected president and instead Roth changes the words and has draw out speech to the listeners. This is an intertextual rupture becuase Roth changes FDR's famous words to fit for his novel and has also changed the historical backround of FDR.

Intertextual rupture is often used in entertainment to make //that// particular work stand out to audiences and, more specifically, it will make the intertextual rupture itself stand out. This is useful for writers trying to create a memorable classic, or a moment that will stand out in the history of whatever form of entertainment is being used.

A classic example of intertextual rupture occurs during William Shakespeare's classic work, //Romeo and Juliet//. The play is almost always seen by people who have some sort of other romance book, movie, etc. that it can be compared to. The boy falls for the girl, gets her to fall for him in turn, there are some obstacles in the way, but in the end the couple kisses and it's happily ever after from there. In fact, almost all stories have romance in the to some extent. Take //The Lord of the// //Rings// trilogy for instance. Even though it is a fantasy series, in the end Aragorn ends up living happily ever after with Arwen.



Another example of a successful romance on the big screen can be found in the hilarious comedy, "You Me and Dupree." Molly and Carl get married in the beginning of the movie, work through some rough times and conflicts within the household, and live happily ever after. And of course, we can't forget any of Disney's slew of children's films featuring some charming young lad rescuing and wooing a lovely young lady who would soon become his bride. From there of course, they live happily ever after. This successful love is the norm for nearly all stories. However, at the end of the famous //Romeo and Juliet//, both protagonists become overwhelmed with grief at the sight of each other "dead." Romeo and Juliet are neither happy at the end of the story, nor are they living ever after. This is a fairly glaring rupture, one that is easily recognized as a distinction from other stories.

Intertextual Rupture can happen anywhere, including the gridiron scene of a football movie. There is a definite "norm" for these types of stories; the team and players go through adversity, conflict, and even injuries, but somehow overcome the odds to win the football game and achieve their goals. This is the case for several epic football movies, such as Waterboy, a player overcoming his mom's unhappiness with football, Remember The Titans, a team overcoming race to play a perfect season, Varsity Blues, a team getting rid of a mean-spirited coach to win a game, and The Little Giants, a team of inexperienced underdogs that upset their mighty peer team. Then there is Friday Night Lights. The following clip brings us to the end of the movie, the Panthers (in white) overcoming the odds to play at the state championship game. Do they win it all, or uncharacteristicly fall short? media type="youtube" key="Gj6gulcYeG4&hl=en&fs=1" height="344" width="425" As you can see, they didn't win. This turn of events deviates from the norm, providing a very memorable example of intertextual rupture.