A Study Of Intertextuality In Zhang Ling’s Novels

As one of the most representative writers in the field of Overseas Chinese Literature,Zhang Ling has been striving to write and created many high-quality novels that have attracted the attention of critics.In recent years,many scholars have interpreted Zhang Ling’s novels from different perspectives,including narrative content,narrative strategies,and cultural identity.However,few people have conducted comprehensive and meticulous research on her novels from the perspective of intertextuality.Intertextuality theory was born in the literary trend of structuralism and deconstructionism.The French semioticist Julia Kristeva first proposed the concept of intertextuality,which means the mutual reference of a text and other texts and the response of a text to other texts.Based on the theory of "transtextuality" by the structuralist scholar Genette,this paper abstracts three types of transtextual relations: paratextuality,intertextuality,hypertextuality,and constructs the theoretical framework of the dissertation.Paratextuality refers to the relationship between the paratext that accompany and exists in the periphery of the text and the positive text;Intertextuality refers to the relationship between all the texts created by the writer herself;Hypertextuality refers to the inheritance relationship between the text created by the writer and the previous other writer.This thesis consists of an introduction,three chapters,and conclusions.The introduction combs the research history and status of Zhang Ling’s novel and intertextuality theory,and puts forward the topic of this article.The first chapter "Inside the Texts: Paratext" explores the intertextual relationship between the paratext elements at the "threshold" position and the body of the novel.The paratexts include the title of the novel,the preface written by the writer,and the interviews with the writer.These paratexts can guide and control the readers’ reading and interpretation of texts.The second chapter "Between the Texts: Intertext" focuses on all of Zhang Ling’s novels.Zhang Ling’s novels have similarities in characters,plots,and themes.They form intertextual relationships and can be cross-referenced to each other,so that readers can better understand Zhang Ling’s novels.Among them,the intertextuality of the characters reflect the recurring image of the Priest and immigrants in Zhang Ling’s novels;the intertextuality of the plots reflect the identity and interaction of the plot in the novels;the intertextuality of the theme is reflected in the repeated interpretations of two themes: "look back hometown " and "traumatic experience".The third chapter is titled "Beyond the Texts: Hypertext".As hypertexts,Zhang Ling’s novels form an intertextual relationship with previous texts through intertextual writing techniques of quotation,allusion,and imitation.The novel quotes the Chinese classical poetry and the poems of Scottish poet Robert Burns.It borrows the allusions and prototypes from "A Dream of Red Mansions" and the Bible,and imitates the language and theme of Zhang Ailing’s novels.Zhang Ling’s novels inherited and responded to the literary classics.The conclusion points out that this article studies the significance and value of Zhang Ling’s novels from the perspective of intertextuality,and finds the shortcomings of Zhang Ling’s novel work.