When thinking of the term intertextuality and its definition, I immediately think of the animated movie, Finding Nemo. Although this may sound strange, let me explain. As the daughter of a recovering alcoholic, I have grown up around the "Big Book", a sort of guideline for those in recovery. The book is spiritual, but has many grounding themes incorporated. For me, "just let go" has always been an important theme found in the Big Book. In Finding Nemo, when Marlin and Dori are in the great whale, Dori tells Marlin to, "Just let go, everything is going to be alright!" Marlin then counters her with, "But how do you know?" Dori replies with a simple, "I don't!" This short and simple conversation is a major turning point in the story, because Marlin finally learns to go with the flow and "just let go".
Intertextuality is a conversation of sorts between two texts. Between the Big Book and Finding Nemo, there are other references. Another instance of intertextuality would be when Marlin and Dori are with the sharks. These sharks are in a meeting that has steps just like Alcoholics Anonymous has. It also has a creed that is recited in the beginning of the meeting about how "fish are friends, not food." This creed is similar to the beginning of AA meetings, where everyone goes around and introduces themselves and their sobriety, and then recites the Serenity Prayer. Every time I watch Finding Nemo, I find more instances of intertextuality and, until now, I didn't know how to label the interaction.
While I agree with the points you discuss, would Finding Nemo and the Big Book be more closely related in terms of family values? Nemo's return can be compared to the story of the Prodigal Son in the Big Book. In both instances, the father is forgiving and celebrates the return of his beloved son.
ReplyDeleteMeredith, I think you may want to tell your readers what the Big Book is. When I first read your post, I thought you were referencing the Bible, which is often called the "Good Book." And here again, I think we have a case of intertextuality.
ReplyDeleteI would like to clarify - the Big Book I'm talking about is not the Bible, but a book written by the founders of AA, Bill W and Dr. Bob. The Big Book is also formally called "Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism". It has stories of recovery and includes the 12-steps of recovery.
ReplyDelete