Intertextuality in Contemporary Arabic Novels
One of the concepts that continues to maintain its popularity among modern critical studies is intertextuality. The novel, as a genre, is one of the literary forms that most comprehensively incorporates intertextual elements. Because the novel is a form that lends itself to drawing upon works from the past, each a product of emotional and intellectual efforts. Therefore, this study examines the phenomenon of intertextuality in contemporary Arabic novels. As it is not possible to cover all Arabic novels within the scope of this study, only seventeen Arabic novels have been selected and utilized as examples. The introduction of the study provides information on the definition of intertextuality and its theoretical framework. Intertextuality is not a completely new concept that has emerged only recently. It has been nourished by the legacy of classical literature passed down from the past to the present. Accordingly, the introduction also offers insight into terms related to our subject in classical literature, such as iqtibas (citation), tadmin (inclusion), talmeeh (allusion), and sariqa (plagiarism). The subject examined in the study is addressed under three main headings: formal intertextuality, purposeful intertextuality, and intersemiotics. While addressing topics evaluated within the scope of intertextuality, a number of theoretical insights related to each topic were first provided, followed by the presentation of selected excerpts from contemporary Arab novels relevant to the topic. Tracing the influence of other texts within a literary work requires a significant amount of effort. Therefore, the main text examples selected from the novels were not presented on their own; rather, they were provided along with the texts they are related to, and the main focus was placed on the intertextual relations between them. The citations and references in Arabic novels exhibit diversity. Such as citations from poetry, religious texts, historical texts, folk tales, proverbs, stories/novels, and philosophical citations. It is observed that the quantity and form of intertextual relations, such as citations, reference, plagiarism, allusion, and pastiche in Arabic novels, vary according to the subject matter of the novel and the tendencies/perspectives of its author.
Keywords: Arabic literature; Arabic novel; intertextuality; citations; reference