An Intertextual Reading Of David Lodge's Small World

David Lodge, as a productive writer and academic critic, has been enjoying great fame in the world. His masterpiece, Small World, employing Persse McGarrigle and Angelica Pabst as its main characters, delineates various scenes of the western academic circle, and displays an active and funny social picture. This thesis aims to discuss the intertextual features present in Small World and explore Lodge's literary thoughts and his creation features.The thesis has four chapters. Chapterâ… includes a brief introduction to David Lodge and his Small World, and indicates the purpose of the thesis.Chapterâ…¡defines intertextuality and discusses main intertextual devices or features.Chapterâ…¢deals with the application of intertextuality in Small World and points out such intertextual features as quotations, parodies, allusions, parallelism and echoes as well as their artistic effects. Quotations are from the thematic and structural which are from the Waste Land, the Canterbury Tales respectively and from other related classic works as well. Parodies include the genre and naming to the Grail Quest. Allusions refer to the title and the ending, which serve to reflect the in-depth meaning of the novel. Parallelism is revealed by means of dialogues between conservative culture and open-minded culture, highbrow culture and lowbrow culture. Echoes are from the reality related with the historical setting and the author himself corresponding to the characters in the novel.Chapterâ…£conclude the thesis, stating that the theme of Small World is Lodge's crisis consciousness as well as his call for the humanistic care.