The Intertextual Features Of Saul Bellow's Fiction: A Case Study Of Herzog And Ravelstein

This M.A.thesis aims to explore intertextuality in Saul Bellow's fiction, especially that between Herzog and Ravelstein.Intertextuality is an important textual and cultural term and simultaneously a theory in post-structuralism and postmodernism. The word"intertextuality"originates from the Latin word"intertexto",which means to intermingle while weaving.This term was coined by Julia Kristeva,a member of the Tel Quel school of French theorists,to designate the various relationships that a given text may have with other texts.These intertextual techniques include anagram,allusion, adaptation,translation,parody,pastiche,imitation,and other kinds of transformation.Though much has been said about Bellow's novels,few critics have paid attention to the intertextual relations his novels bear.A careful examination will reveal that intertextuality is a primary feature in Bellow's novels.Therefore,it is highly feasible to analyze Saul Bellow's works from the perspective of intertextuality.Through a close study of intertextuality in Herzog and Ravelstein,this thesis will try to find out the sources that make his works powerful and meaningful and the changes of issues that Bellow concerned with throughout his writing career.It is his adoption of different intertextual techniques and media that makes his texts interweave with other texts and gives his novels unusual tension;it is his reiteration of themes and reference of ideas that maintain close relations within his own works;and it is his learnedness and its employment in intertextual writing that make possible all the inner and outer connections his novels keep.This thesis is divided into four chapters.The first chapter traces the development of intertextual theory and various techniques involved in an intertextual relation. Though intertextuality sprang from structualist and post-structualist movements,it is not a trademark of any of these schools of literary criticism;on the contrary,it is closely connected with several literary movements in Europe in the 20^th century,such as Russian formalism,structuralism and post-structuralism.Several important figures in this field have made the main contributions to this theory.To understand this theory, we will study Bakhtin's dialogism,Kristeva's coinage of intertextuality,Roland Barthes's viewpoint,Genette and Riffaterre's structuralist approach and Harold Bloom's theory of influence.The second chapter examines intertextuality in Herzog and Ravelstein as well as comparison of intertextuality in both novels.It is found that in Herzog,the characters, plot,structure and genre are either"borrowed"from or related to those of other texts or resources;and that the same is true of Ravelstein.However,the two books differ in their media through which intertextuality takes its shape:in the former case,there are mainly three channels—shifting narrative persons,letters and notes;while in the latter, it is the conversations and memories that make up the stage for intertextual links to take off.The third chapter probes into the intertextual relations between the two texts, which are mainly manifested in the form of thematic references and echoing relations. It is observed that in the two"novels of ideas",there are overlapping of ideas—quest, defending tradition,love,life and death,and Jewishness.What is more,Ravelstein echoes with Herzog in the issues of life paradox,pedantry and Reality Instructors. They also employ the same categories of images to enrich representation.The last chapter extends the discussion to intertextual writing and reading.As is shown in Herzog and Ravelstein,intertextuality features Bellow's writing,which would hence be reasonably named intertextual writing.As a result,it is of great significance to give Bellow's texts an intertextual reading.Besides,the functions and effects of intertextuality will be investigated.The thesis comes to the conclusion that Bellow's texts are highly intertextual in the sense that they have abundant literary allusions,echoes and citations.His texts never lack autoreferences and therefore allow readers to explore the vast range of contextual materials.Through the case study of the two representative novels,it can be discovered that the previously constant pattern of Bellow's fiction has been transformed to some extent.