Transtextualidad - G. Genette

Understanding Transsexuality in Textual Relationships

Concept of Transsexuality

• Transsexuality, a term coined by Gérard Genette, explores the various relationships between texts. It emphasizes that discussing intertextuality broadly is insufficient. Instead, Genette defines transsexuality as any relationship—manifest or hidden—between texts.

Categories of Textual Relationships

• Genette identifies five distinct categories of textual relationships: hypertextuality, intertextuality, architextuality, paratextuality, and metatextuality. Each category represents different ways literary texts can relate to one another. Not all texts share the same type of relationship.

Hypertextuality

• Hypertextuality refers to the relationship where one text (Text B) derives elements from another (Text A), which serves as its source. This can include characters, stories, situations, and ideas from Text A being reinterpreted in Text B. Examples include parodies or retellings from different perspectives.

• An example provided is the film "Shrek," which operates independently from traditional fairy tales but incorporates elements like characters and themes from those original stories while critiquing them.

Intertextuality

• Intertextuality involves a direct reproduction of a text within another text (Text B quoting or referencing Text A). This can manifest through citations or allusions without explicitly naming the source. For instance, Borges' "La casa de Asterión" begins with an epigraph that quotes Apollodorus’ work directly.

• The three types of intertextual references are:

• Citation: Directly reproducing part of another text with attribution.

• Allusion: Referencing another text without explicit citation.

• Plagiarism: Reproducing content without crediting the original author while presenting it as one's own work.

Architextuality

• Architextuality describes relationships among texts sharing formal characteristics and thematic elements; these are often classified into genres such as novels or plays based on common traits like narrative style or subject matter (e.g., magic in Harry Potter vs. Lord of the Rings).

• Works like "Hamlet" and "Prohibido suicidarse en primavera" are categorized under drama due to their dialogue format intended for performance before an audience.

Paratextuality

• Paratextual relationships exist between a primary text and secondary materials that surround it (e.g., footnotes, introductions). These supplementary materials often provide context but are not authored by the main author; they enhance understanding but remain external to the core narrative itself (e.g., notes in Shakespeare's tragedies).

Metatextuality

• Metatextual relationships involve a text reflecting on its own nature as fiction; this includes breaking the fourth wall where characters acknowledge their fictional existence (illustrated through art depicting characters escaping their frames). This self-awareness distinguishes metatextual interactions from other forms discussed earlier.

Understanding the Structure and Themes of Sonetos

The Nature of Sonetos

• Lope de Vega's soneto is a specific type of poem that gained popularity in Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by its rigid structure consisting of 14 verses divided into two quatrains and two tercets with a predetermined rhyme scheme.

• This particular soneto, composed in the 17th century, serves as a parody of traditional sonetos, focusing on the theme of writing a sonnet itself.

Meta-textuality in Music

• The beginning of "La Pila" by the Argentine band Intoxicados explicitly discusses the act of songwriting, presenting a unique scene where the composition process is central to the song's narrative.

• This self-referential approach aligns with meta-textuality, where texts recognize themselves as texts, creating layers of meaning within their own structure.

Categories of Textual Relationships

• Jeannette categorizes five distinct types of relationships that texts can have with one another to facilitate more precise study and understanding.

• These categories help illuminate how different forms interact and relate within literary analysis, enhancing comprehension through structured frameworks.