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Creative Writing
Quarter 2 – Module 7:
Intertextuality as a
Technique in Drama
English – Grade 11
English Learning Kit
Intertextuality
First Edition, 2020

Published in the Philippines

By the Department of Education
Schools Division of Iloilo
Luna Street, La Paz, Iloilo City

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of Iloilo.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this learning resource may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical
without written permission from the Schools Division of Iloilo.

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Writer: Rowell D. Salulog

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Ismael, Jr. B. Sibag

Management Team:
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Donald T. Genine, Dr. Paul Nestor M. Pingil, Dr. Roel F. Bermejo,
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Introductory Message
Welcome to Grade 11 Creative Writing.

The English Learning Kit is a product of the collaborative efforts of the

Division of Iloilo Secondary English Teachers Association (DISETA) and the Division
English Coordinators Association (DECA) writers, illustrators, layout artists,
reviewers, editors, and Quality Assurance Team from the Department of Education,
Schools Division of Iloilo. This is developed to guide you dear learning facilitators in
helping our learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum.

The English Learning Kit aims to guide our learners in accomplishing

activities at their own pace and time. This also aims to assist learners in developing
and achieving the lifelong learning skills while considering their needs and situations.

For the learning facilitator:

The English Learning Kit is developed to address the current needs

of the learner to continue learning in the comforts of their homes or learning centers.
As the learning facilitator, make sure that you give them clear instructions on how to
study and accomplish the given activities in the material. Learner’s progress must be
monitored.

For the learner:

The English Learning Kit is developed to help you, dear learner, in your
needs to continue learning even if you are not in school. This learning material aims
to primarily provide you with meaningful and engaging activities for independent
learning. Being an active learner, carefully read and understand to follow the
instructions given.
Defining Intertextuality

BEGIN

In your previous lesson, you

have identified the various elements,
techniques, and literary devices in
drama. Thus, it is assumed that you
have an understanding that
playwriting as a discipline is
complicated and yet liberating
enough if you are already familiar
with the standards.
Although Creative Writing is
boundless since your imagination is
the only limit, sometimes, we copy
thoughts from other texts or literary
pieces to emphasize a point or simply
to make your writing more appealing
to your readers.
As a budding writer, have you
ever borrowed concepts and phrases
from other texts for your own work? If
you have, then you are using
intertextuality, sometimes without
even knowing it.

TARGET

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. define intertextuality as a technique in drama,
2. identify intertextuality in literary pieces and popular motion pictures;
and
3. write a short piece employing intertextuality.

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 TRY THIS

1. Familiarize yourself with the following terms:

A. reference F. parody
B. allusion G. excerpt
C. connection H. link
D. related I. citation
E. relevant J. extract

2. Which of the terms above are somehow related to one another?

RECALL

In your previous lesson, you have

learned about the various techniques in
drama. Intertextuality as concept is very
much connected with the texts written
s before. Try the activity and measure your
previous readings and knowledge on what
you have encountered before.

ACTIVITY 1: WHO AM I?
Directions: Match the characters on column A with “how they describe themselves”
in Column B. Write your answers in your Creative Writing Notebook. (Note: Quotes
are not from the actual text where the character appears.)
A B

“I was the boy-who-lived from Little

1. Cinderella
A. Whinging and defeated You-Know-Who.

“I really wonder why I left my glass

2. Mr. Bean
B. slipper when it fits perfectly.”

“I am the master of the Sexy Jutsu from

3. Pinocchio C. the Leaf Village. Believe it.”

“I am not lying but why is my nose

4. Naruto D. growing long like this?”

5. Harry Potter E. “I always want to be Teddy.”

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 DO THIS

ACTIVITY 2: CAN YOU SEE THEIR CONNECTION?

In many modern movies you have watched, there are specific scenes that you
feel are connected to literary pieces. This can also be considered intertextuality since
most movies are from books and scriptwriters may have consciously or
unconsciously employed intertextuality in their works.1
Directions: Read the scenes in Column A and write on your Creative Writing
Notebook its Biblical reference symbol, situation, or concept.
A B
1. In the movie, 2012
(2009), world leaders
created massive ships
to board various
peoples of the world
and pairs of animals in
order to survive the
immense flood
because of climate
change.

2. In the movie, Resident

Evil, The Final Chapter
(2016), it was revealed
that Alice is a human
clone of Older Alice
and the Artificial
Intelligence (AI) a.k.a.
Red Queen is also her
in her young self—
three personas in one.

3.
In the movie,
Chronicles of Narnia
The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe
(2005), Aslan died
Note: Biblical reference here resurrected
is regardedtoinfight
literary perspective and not any way tackle
religious aspect or belief system. evil Ice Queen.
the

1
Examples and Definition of Intertextuality (2017, October 19). Retrieved from
EXPLORE
https://literarydevices.net/intertextuality

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 Now that you have acknowledged
connections and parallelism in texts, do
you grasp what intertextuality means?
Have you come across with text related to
another text?

Direction: Answer the following questions in your Creative Writing Notebook.

1. How do you find the first activity?
2. Are you familiar with scenes mentioned? Do you think they are somehow
connected?
3. What are the aspects connecting the scenes/situations from the movies to
Biblical accounts?
4. Have you ever noticed other references from other movie/text to another
text?
5. How do you think intertextuality works?

KEEP THIS IN MIND

Well done! You have successfully made

a meaningful connection after answering the
previous activities. Now, you are all set for the
discussion about intertextuality.

Intertextuality
Intertextuality is attributed to the works of Julia Kristeva in the 1960s. It has
then, been widely acknowledged by postmodern literary critics. Intertextuality is a
sophisticated literary device making use of a textual reference within some body of
text, which reflects again the text used as a reference. (literarydevice.net) But
literaryterms.net defines intertextuality as not a literary or rhetorical device, but rather
a fact about literary texts – the fact that they are all intimately interconnected. 

According to Novak, when writers borrow from previous texts, their work
acquires layers of meaning. In addition, when a text is read in the light of another
text, all the assumptions and effects of the other text give a new meaning and
influence the way of interpreting the original text.
One can therefore assume that incorporation of any significant part of a text in
the creation of another is intertextuality. For example, the mere mention of Cinderella

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in another text outside of the fairy tale itself, inherits a common and popular meaning
of “from being poor to becoming rich. 2

The connection between the two novels is an explicit showcase of

intertextuality. Intertextuality can also be defined as the use of literary relationship of
texts— intertextual communication.

Function of Intertextuality
Most commonly, the following devices are used by authors to communicate or
relate texts. Other references consider these as types of intertextuality.
1. Allusion – It is a generally implied reference to elements of writing that
appear in another work. (Ex. Do not get in there as you might open the
Pandora’s Box.)
2. Parody – It is an imitation of a certain work in a satirical manner, usually to
mock. (Ex. Most parodies in blogs and vlogs)
3. Quotation – It is a direct reference to another text. (“Hasta La Vista, Baby” is
used in later works in films as clear reference from Terminator)
4. Appropriation – It is reworking/reimagining text to change or extend its
meaning. (Ex. Snow White is given a new light in films)
5. Adaptation – It is a written work is made into film/stage play/TV drama.
(Ex. Les Miserables, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc.) 3

As an inspiration, some writers borrow by ideas from an existing work to

scaffold meaning in their own work. The new text echoes all of the related
assumptions and meanings of the borrowed ideas from the original texts.

ACTIVITY 3: DOES IT RING A BELL?

Directions: Identify whether the following situations employ intertextuality. Place a
check mark () in the box if you believe it employed intertextuality and an () if
otherwise.

 1. Thor, Odin, and Loki are characters from Norse mythology who also
appeared in Marvel comics and films as heroes and villains.
 2. Maleficent is known as the evil witch in Sleeping Beauty and illustrated as a
kind-hearted guardian of Aurora in the movie Maleficent.
 3. Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books feature the adventures of the children
of gods and goddesses from the Greek mythology.

2
Intertextuality as A Literary Device (2019, November 5). Retrieved from
https://thewritepractice.com/intertextuality-as-a-literary-device/
3
Intertextuality in literature definition example (2020, August 9). Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/intertextuality-in-literature-definition-example/

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  4. Bob Ong’s Ang Alamat ng Gubat mentions characters like the ant and the
grasshopper as in the popular Filipino children’s story of Langgam at
Tipaklong.
 5. The relationship of Pyramus and Thisbe told by Ovid was forbidden and
culminated in deaths as in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
 6. Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy depicted the circles of hell—a well-known
place of eternal suffering in the Bible.
 7. Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s novel, Le Petite Prince is translated in English
as the Little Prince.
 8. In Beowulf, it is believed that Grendel is a descendant of Biblical character
Cain.
 9. The spell, Avada Kedavra in Harry Potter series is based on Abracadabra
which is an ancient Armaic spell also used as magic spell in Hocus Pocus.
 10. Christopher Marlowe’s poem The Passionate Shepherd to His Love was
answered by Sir Walter Raleigh’s The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd.

SUM UP

You are almost done with this

module. All the items in Activity 3 are
actually examples of intertextuality in
various texts and pieces. Now, let us recap
important things you have learned and
learn more!

As a technique in drama, intertextuality is widely used as it enriches the elements

such as character, plot, setting, theme, etc. in reference to a past or existing text.
Thus, upon reading and writing a certain text, people share a literary culture bound
to communicate with each other, be it intentional (explicit) or coincidental (implicit).
The employment of intertextuality in your future writing is sometimes inevitable and
most of the time a necessity to augment the richness of substance in your writing.
Despite this, one must be careful of plagiarism as it may be the case in
intertextuality. There is a thin line between using intertextuality as a technique in
writing and plagiarising, though it may not be intentional. It has to be clear that the
concepts and phrases from other works are references rather than copied and
uncited.
APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

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ACTIVITY 4: Welcome to Mobile Legends!

Directions: The following texts is the backstory of Mobile Legend character, Kagura.
Using the same character, continue her story as she follows Hayabusa. Use your
journal notebook in Creative Writing to write your masterpiece. Good luck!
Onmyouji Master is a master of the yin and yang arts, driven by the powerful spirits,
yin and yang. The Kagura family is the oldest and most powerful of the Onmyouji, with the
most powerful of all being the Ancestor Master. Kagura, as one in the family with the most
potential, was given the Seimei umbrella, an heirloom of the yin yang arts passed down
through generations. Legend has it that the umbrella was refined by the great Seimei himself
using power from a hundred ghosts. It is believed that it now possesses life and wisdom of
its own which can only be controlled by its rightful owner. After learning that her childhood
playmate Hayabusa had departed for the Land of Dawn to undertake a dangerous misson,
Kagura secretly took the Seimei umbrella and followed in Hayabusa's step, hoping to help
him in battle. 4
Retrieved from https://mobile-legends.fandom.com/wiki/Kagura

Rubrics for scoring:

Criteria 5 3 2 Score
Maintain a clear
Some minor Completely
Substance continuity in the
detour from the unrelated story
(3) storyline from
original storyline. is written.
the original text.
Complete set of Missing more
Technique Missing one or
elements making than three
(2) two element/s.
is employed. elements.
Two to three At least four
Grammar Grammar is
grammar rules grammar rules
(1) impeccable.
were violated. were violated.
TOTAL

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REFLECT
5)Kagura. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://mobile-legends.fandom.com/wiki/Kagura

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 REFLECT

Well done! You have shown great

improvement after accomplishing all the tasks. This
time you will reflect on your work and rate your
confidence.

How are you doing so far?

1 THING I REALLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND

Things I still do

2 THINGS I WANT TO ASK

3 THINGS I HAVE LEARNED

LEARN MORE

ACTIVITY 6: SHOW ME THE SHOW

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Directions: Complete the chart with the list of Movies/TV Dramas/Shows (local or
foreign) inspired by a previous work. Then, explain further their relevance.
An example is given below.
Text/Piece Elaborate their
List of Movies/TV
with Intertextual Relevance to one
Drama/Shows
Relationship to another
The main character Victor is
Filipino version of Thor who
Ex. The GMA show Victor
Norse Mythology happens to have similar
Magtanggol capabilities of wielding
lightning through a hammer

Additional Remarks:

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 ASSESS WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED

ACTIVITY 7: FINALLY, ANSWER ME!

DIRECTIONS: Read the questions carefully. Write the letter of the best answer in
your
Creative Writing notebook.

1. Which of the following do NOT define intertextuality?

A. a relationship between two text that layers meaning
B. when part of a text is referenced from another
B. borrowing of ideas and concepts from other works
C. all of the answers are correct

2. Who first coined the term ‘intertextuality’?

A. Ferdinand de Saussure C. Julia Kristeva
B. Isaac Newton D. Marina Inter

3. Which is NOT a type of intertextuality?

A. adaptation C. allusion
B. appropriation D. apparition

4. What is plagiarism?
A. the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off
as one's own
B. the act of letting someone borrow ideas from another work without pay
C. the practice of copying one’s work and citing them in the reference section
with permission
D. giving credit to the owner of the piece as a tribute to their genius work

5. The use of intertextuality as a technique in drama refers to the concept that

writers can generate literary relationships as a way to…
A. earn money C. communicate
B. exercise their rights D. disseminate information

GLOSSARY

Reference – the act of mentioning or alluding to something; the use of source

information in order to ascertain something

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 ANSWER KEY

ACTIVITY 1
1. B 2. E 3. D 4. C 5. A

ACTIVITY 2
1. 2012 – Noah’s Ark
2. Resident Evil – Holy Trinity
3. Chronicles of Narnia – Resurrection of Jesus
ACTIVITY 3
Items 1 – 10 
ACTIVITY 7
1. C 2. B 3. C 4. A 5. B

REFERENCES

1)Examples and Definition of Intertextuality (2017, October 19). Retrieved from

https://literarydevices.net/intertextuality

2)Intertextuality as A Literary Device (2019, November 5). Retrieved from

https://thewritepractice.com/intertextuality-as-a-literary-device/

3)Fifty Shades of Grey' started out as 'Twilight' fan fiction before becoming an
international phenomenon (2015, February 17). Retried from
https://www.businessinsider.com/fifty-shades-of-grey-started-out-as-twilight-
fan-fiction-2015-2

4) Intertextuality in literature definition example (2020, August 9). Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/intertextuality-in-literature-definition-
example/

5)Kagura. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://mobile-legends.fandom.com/wiki/Kagura

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