Year 11 · English · Literature
Intertextuality
Recognise how texts borrow from, allude to and reimagine other texts, from myths and fairy tales to film adaptations.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to UK year groups by age (Year 1 is the year a child turns 6 in England). They are not mapped to the National Curriculum in England or the curricula of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, so check them against your own plans.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Define intertextuality and recognise allusion, parody, adaptation and retelling.
- Explain common allusions to myths, legends and well-known stories.
- Analyse how a text's meaning is enriched by its connections to another text.
Success looks like
- I can explain the meaning of common allusions such as 'an Achilles' heel' and 'a Trojan horse'.
- I can tell the difference between a parody and an adaptation.
- I can explain how knowing the original text changes my understanding of a new one.
The big idea
No text exists in isolation. Writers and film-makers constantly borrow from, refer to and reimagine earlier stories. This web of connections is called intertextuality, and recognising it adds layers of meaning.
An allusion is a brief reference that expects the audience to recognise the source. Everyday English is full of allusions to ancient myths:
- An Achilles' heel: a single weakness in someone otherwise strong (the Greek hero Achilles could only be wounded in his heel).
- A Trojan horse: something that seems harmless but hides a threat (the Greeks hid soldiers inside a wooden horse to enter the city of Troy).
- Opening Pandora's box: starting something that releases many unexpected troubles.
- The Midas touch: the ability to make everything successful or profitable (King Midas turned everything he touched into gold).
A retelling gives a familiar story a new angle – for example, 'Little Red Riding Hood' told from the wolf's point of view, or 'Cinderella' set in a modern high school. An adaptation moves a story into a new form: the musical West Side Story reimagines Romeo and Juliet as two rival gangs in 1950s New York, and the film Clueless updates Jane Austen's Emma to a modern high school.
A parody imitates a text or genre and exaggerates its features for humour or criticism, such as a mock movie trailer that pokes fun at action-film clichés. A homage imitates out of respect rather than mockery.
Why does intertextuality matter? Readers who recognise the source bring its meaning with them. Calling a gift 'a Trojan horse' instantly suggests betrayal. A retelling invites us to compare – what has changed, and what does that change say about the new writer's values?
When analysing, name the source, explain the connection and explain the effect: 'By alluding to Pandora's box, the writer suggests the new technology will release problems no one can control.'
Worked examples
Explaining an allusion
Original sentence: 'The free app was a Trojan horse – once installed, it began collecting every user's contacts.' Explain the allusion.
- Identify the source: the Greek story of the wooden horse used to sneak soldiers into Troy.
- Link the meaning: something that looks like a gift but hides a threat.
- Explain the effect: it suggests the app was deliberately deceptive, not just faulty.
Answer: The allusion to the Trojan horse presents the free app as a deceptive 'gift' that secretly harmed its users, making the company seem cunning and untrustworthy.
Analysing a retelling
A writer retells 'The Three Little Pigs' from the wolf's point of view, presenting him as a misunderstood neighbour with a bad cold. What effect does the retelling create?
- Identify the original: the wolf is the villain and the pigs are the victims.
- Identify the change: the perspective shifts to the wolf, who gives his own version.
- Explain the effect: readers question who tells a story and whether the 'villain' has been treated fairly.
Answer: The retelling relies on readers knowing the original. By shifting the perspective, it creates humour and makes readers question how stories decide who is good and who is bad.
Parody or homage?
A short comic video copies the dramatic voice-over and slow-motion explosions of action movies, but the 'mission' is finding a lost sock. Is this a parody or a homage?
- Identify what is imitated: the conventions of action-movie trailers.
- Identify the purpose: the conventions are exaggerated and applied to a trivial task for humour.
- Decide: mockery and exaggeration suggest parody.
Answer: It is a parody, because it exaggerates action-film conventions for comic effect.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
What is the term for a brief, indirect reference to a well-known story, person or text? (one word)
allusion — An allusion relies on the reader recognising the source.
If someone calls a footballer's weak left foot their 'Achilles' heel', what do they mean?
It is their single main weakness — Achilles could only be wounded in his heel, so an 'Achilles' heel' is a single weakness.
What does 'the Midas touch' mean?
The ability to make things successful or profitable — King Midas turned everything he touched into gold.
West Side Story reimagines Romeo and Juliet as a story about rival gangs in New York. This is best described as…
An adaptation — It adapts the original story into a new setting and form (a musical).
What is the main difference between a parody and a homage?
A parody exaggerates for humour or criticism; a homage imitates out of respect. — Both imitate, but their purposes differ: mockery versus tribute.
What term describes the ways texts connect to, borrow from or respond to other texts? (one word)
intertextuality — Intertextuality is the web of connections between texts.
A newspaper says a new law 'opened Pandora's box'. What does the writer suggest?
The law released many unexpected problems. — In the myth, opening Pandora's box released troubles into the world.
Why does a retelling of a fairy tale from the villain's point of view work best when readers know the original?
Because readers can compare versions and notice what has changed and why — The new meaning comes from contrast with the familiar version.
Watch out for
- Thinking intertextuality means copying. It involves deliberately transforming or responding to a source to create new meaning.
- Believing a text can only be understood if you know every reference. Recognising allusions adds depth, but a good text still works on its own.
- Treating parody as an insult. Parody can show affection for the original while poking fun at its conventions.
Tips for parents
- Point out allusions in everyday language ('a Herculean task', 'crying wolf') and ask your learner to find out where they come from.
- Watch a film adaptation together after reading the book and discuss what was changed and why.
- Share fairy tales or myths from your own family's culture – they are part of the web of stories too.
Go further
- Write a fractured fairy tale: retell a well-known tale from a minor character's perspective in a modern setting, then annotate your intertextual choices.
- Create a 'myth dictionary' of ten everyday phrases that allude to Greek, Roman or Norse myths, with the original story summarised for each.
- Compare an opening scene of a novel with its film adaptation and write a paragraph on how the change of medium changes the effect.
About 50 minutes
You'll need
- Exercise book
- A collection of fairy tales or myths
- A film adaptation of a book the learner knows (optional)
Key words
- Intertextuality
- The ways texts connect to, borrow from or respond to other texts.
- Allusion
- A brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, story, event or text.
- Parody
- An imitation of a text or style that exaggerates it for comic or critical effect.
- Adaptation
- A new version of a text in a different form or medium, such as a novel made into a film.
- Retelling
- A new version of a familiar story, often from a different perspective or in a different time and place.
- Homage
- A respectful tribute to an earlier text or creator.
Still tricky?
For parents
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