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Influence and Intertextuality: A Reappraisal

2007; Oxford University Press; Volume: 43; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/fmls/cqm004

1471-6860

Susan Bassnett,

Irish and British Studies

This essay considers shifts of approach in comparative literature, from early endeavours to trace direct influences of one author upon another to a more holistic model that sees the study of literature as the study of intertextual connections. Starting with Matthew Arnold's statement about the impossibility of comprehending any single literature adequately without taking into account other literatures, the essay considers three cases: the relationship between James Joyce and Italo Svevo is discussed as an example of the difficulties of proving direct influence; Seamus Heaney's use of Dante offers an example of the creative way in which a writer can incorporate the work of another writer into his own poetry, and finally the reception of Ezra Pound's Cathay shows how the context in which a work appears and the reaction of readers can radically alter the fortunes of a literary text. The role of translation is seen as crucially important as a force for innovation and change in a literature.