Intertextuality

In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster explains how “there’s no such thing as a wholly original work of literature (p. 29).” He elaborates on this statement over the next few pages by illustrating several examples of what intertextuality is. Since there is no completely original piece of literature, all students have inevitably encountered cases of intertextuality. One specific example from my own experiences with intertextuality is with John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Miceand Men, and the film directed by Frank Darabont, The Green Mile, which is based upon Stephen King’s novel. Provided they have read the book, members of an audience watching The Green Mile can notice similarities between the film and Steinbeck’s novel through the analogous settings, characters, and plots.

Lennie Small from Of Mice and Men and John Coffey from The Green Mile are too comparable for a coincidental explanation. Both characters are significantly above average in size and below average in intelligence. Despite their size, Lennie and John are portrayed as “gentle giants,” being loving, compassionate, and caring gentlemen in the separate stories. In addition, Lennie and John are both wrongfully persecuted for similar crimes and lose their lives at the hands of a beloved friend. One of the more subtle connections between the two pieces of literature, in my opinion, is the setting. Both take place in rural parts of America during The Great Depression; Of Mice and Men in rural California and The Green Mile at a penitentiary in Louisiana. If that is not enough comparison to convince, both characters befriend and care for small and fragile animals during the stories, namely a mouse.

In this personal example of my experience with a form of intertexuality, my prior familiarity with Lennie Small from Of Mice and Men assisted in my interpretation of John Coffey from The Green Mile. It was easier for me to empathize with the character of John Coffey, because I felt as if I had already been acquainted with him; I knew this character. Although I experienced the two stories via different mediums, the relationship previously formed with Lennie Small during Steinbeck’s novel almost gave me an immediate biased view of John Coffey. Even before the film provided evidence, I had a conviction of innocence for John Coffey; he had to be a good guy, just like Lennie.