This document provides an introduction and background on literary works and the concept of intertextuality. It discusses how Ferdinand de Saussure first proposed the concepts of signs, signifiers, and signifieds, which formed the basis for understanding how language and meaning are constructed. It then explains how Mikhail Bakhtin and Julia Kristeva later developed the concept of intertextuality, which is the linking of ideas and meanings between different texts. The document uses the poems "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost and "She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways" by William Wordsworth to provide an example of how intertextuality can be seen between different literary works through similar themes and ideas.

1. Philology
Robert Frost “the road not taken” and William Wordsworth “she dwelt among the
untrodden ways” comparative analysis
By
Fery Seftiawan (160070835026)
feryseftiawan16070835026@mhs.unesa.ac.id
Postgraduate program of English education
State University of Surabaya
Academic Year 2016/2017

2. A. INTRODUCTION
1. Background
Historically, the literary world had been changing all over the time, from the past ago, until
the present day, human are still making the literature as an art. They have a physical sense so-
called feeling. This feeling draws people to express at particular objects and to other people too
as admittance. As historian reveals, there are number of arts which created by human for decades
ago. Those arts are expressive symbol of an ancient’s people to reflect their feeling, experience,
emotion and so on. Symbols which are created was in a specific object such as stones, leaves,
animal’s skin and other object, furthermore, the location of those so-called arts are in everywhere
such as, the common one, in the roof of the cave. Thos phenomenon in the past ago nowadays
are called literary work.
Literary at present is progressing go behind the time. Literary refer to literature that can be in
text or work form such as poem, novel, short story, play, poetry, prose and so on. It can also be
seen as a species of knowledge or of learning (Rene Wellek, 1948, p. 3). Literary plays an
important and crucial rule in human civilization, since it partly or sometimes fully reflects a
human culture and development. Literature can be a creative and art (Rene Wellek, 1948, p. 3)
Every nation has their specific art, its characteristic, and features. There also many painting
which are similar each other, the art in the cave for instance. Indonesia has it as well as Malaysia
and other nation like Thailand. It doesn’t mean that the nation who created the last is cheating or
doing unfair, it simply because they have such identical culture. This fact may illustrate that even
from the past; there are also such similarities in arts. At the present time, not only those carving,
but also the dances of a specific nation are sometimes equal each other to many nations in term
of costumes or moves. Song, its lyric, movie, building, and many aspects have such similarity.
Moreover, at this era, the things are even sometimes so similar that people can easily copy and
make it newer by the oldest concept, and this is called link where we can find it easy in internet
or www linkage. The fact then called as a hypertextuality which is “text-based informational
screens that are presented using a computer; informational screens are connected to each other
using links (Niederhauser, 2016). This reality then, draws an assumption that art doesn’t stand
alone and it links each other. This fact is known as the inter-textual.

3. The word inter-textual then known as intertextuallity which originally derives from two
main words, the “inter” which means “used to form adjectives meaning 'between or among the
stated people, things or places'” and “textual” which means “related to the way in which
something has been written” (Cambridge Advances Learner’s Dictionary). From the elaboration,
it can be then concluded that intertextuality can mean the imitation of something, in this case, for
particular, in term of the literary works. Some other literary man would call intertextuality with
other term such as; transposition, hypo-hyper text, juxtaposition, and dialogism, which all refer
to the inter-textual means. The term “intertextuality was initially employed by poststructuralist
theorists and critics in their attempt to disrupt notions of stable meaning and objective
interpretation” (Allen, 2000, p. 3), furthermore it is “a concept often associated with
postmodernism, more particularly with that sphere of postmodernism where literature encounters
critical theory” (Haberer, 2007 , p. 1). Moreover (Allen, 2000, p. 2) exposed that intertextuality
is a term that is generally “understood and provides a stable set of critical procedures for
interpretation”. Intertextuality also “emerges from theories which are more concerned than
Saussure seems to be with the existence of language within specific social situations. It is the
matter of fact that literary works sometimes appear because there was a preface works as (Rene
Wellek, 1948, p. 3) stated that “Literary study is knowledge and advises a "Second creation,",
and supported by today’s theory of collective unconsciousness which presupposes that no
original text. In short, the term interteuxtuality was initially proposed by Ferdinand de Saussure
then it was developed by Mikhail Baktin and Julia Kristeva.
2. The origin theory of Intertextuality
The origin of intertextuality was initiated by de Saussure theory. Saussure proposed that
there are signs and signifying systems and langue and parole in his theoretical point of view. The
theory has to do with taking such object, decomposes it and then recomposes it. (Allen, 2000, p.
9) Proposed that “when humans write or speak they may believe they are being referential, but in
fact they are producing specific acts of linguistic communication (parole) out of the available
synchronic system of language (langue)”. It emphasizes that language whether written or spoken
has those two systems as well. The parole also called as an abstract system which is in human
brain as their common schemata (background knowledge), while langue is the language which
uttered by human being which deal with parole.

4. Saussure also proposed the theory of signs, which are arbitrary, “possessing meaning not
because of a referential function but because of their function within a linguistic system as it
exists at any one moment of time, language as it exists at any moment of time is referred to the
synchronic system of language, rather than the diachronic element of language, which evolves
through time” (Allen, 2000, pp. 8-9). Sign, which is exposed by Saussure, is the combination of
two terms, namely signified and signifier. Signifier is a word and arbitrary, which means that
anything in human brain may differ each other from other human depending on their cultures,
values, and social exposure, while signified is the concept that word brings to mind, it has to do
with the symbolic thing that created by the brain when they speak. Sign is also combination of
signifier and signified which are the basic building blocks of language and meaning, moreover,
the word or linguistic sign as sound or written shape (the signifier), or the concept which it
denotes, (the signified). Sign, signifier, and signified has a correlation with binary opposition
which is also proposed by Saussure.
He has a concept namely the relational words which refer to a signified (concept) and a
signifier (sound-image), moreover “a sign is not a word’s reference to some object in the world
but the combination, conveniently sanctioned, between a signifier and a signified” (Allen, 2000,
p. 1). Saussure’s emphasis on the systematic features of language establishes the relational nature
of meaning and thus of texts (Allen, 2000, p. 2)
3. The Intertextuality theory from Bakhtin and Kristeva
From the concept of Ferdinand de Saussure, the term intertextuality then emerges. The
term was coined by Julia Kristeva 1966 and then developed by Mikhail Bakhtin. The basic
assumption of intertextuality and philology point of view is that the “Authors do not create their
texts from their own original minds, but rather compile them from pre-existent texts” (Allen,
2000, p. 35). Furthermore, “a text is ‘a permutation of texts, an intertextuality in the space of a
given text’, in which ‘several utterances, taken from other texts, intersect and neutralize one
another’ (Allen, 2000, pp. 25-36). In short, it can be said that the term intertextuality is a link
between specific text to another text, without even doing a plagiarism, and concern on the
common idea of a text.

5. In other way, the term intertextuality can be said as re-situating texts which is” in the
complex discursive frame of their originating period by way of a detail allusive reading” (Selden,
Widdowson, & Brooker, 2005, p. 184). This notion, proposed that author can possibly create the
new text from the other text that emerge earlier. Not only so, but intertextuality can be
sometimes as the “‘Text’ as comprising ‘a permutation of texts, intertextuality’, and of how ‘in
the space of a given text, several utterances, taken from other texts, intersect and neutralize one
another’ (Selden, Widdowson, & Brooker, 2005, p. 161).
B. DISCUSSION
1. The Intertextuality point of view
The road not taken (Robert Frost,
published in 1916)
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted
wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways
By William Wordsworth (1798 )
She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dove,
A Maid whom there were none to praise
And very few to love:
A violet by a mossy stone
Half hidden from the eye!
Fair as a star, when only one
Is shining in the sky.
She lived unknown, and few could know
When Lucy ceased to be;
But she is in her grave, and, oh,
The difference to me!

6. First of all, the Intertextuality point of view isn’t limited from year to year, it can possibly
happen in a certain period of time. The literary aspect keep growing and it now known as the
postmodernism as well as post structuralism which is comparing two or more text or literary
works in any kind. (Castle, 2007, pp. 145-146) Stated that “With respect to literary texts,
Postmodernism shares with Post structuralism a strong aversion to traditional notions of authors,
texts, and canons and an equally strong attraction to intertextuality and play”. The statement
depicts that literary from a long time ago can perhaps be compared to the newer one, and not
only that matter, as the statement above that movie, as well as music, as the modern literary can
possibly be.
In common, and one side, the poem of "She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways" is a
three-stanza poem written by the English Romantic poet William Wordsworth in 1798 when he
was 28 years old, while the other side the poem of "The Road Not Taken" is a narrative poem
consisting of four stanzas of 5 lines each in iambic tetrameter (though it is hypermetric by one
beat – there are nine syllables per line instead of the strict eight required for tetrameter) and is
one of Frost's most popular works (Wikipedia). Historically, the two authors of these poems
were born in different era and time or situation at that time. That act drives an assumption that
literary at their age are totally different, somehow, the two poems above are look like. Both of
those poems are also contains a similar message. As well as the statement which explained the
possibility of a transposition from time to time of “a text’s emergence from the ‘social text’ but
also its continued existence within society and history” (Allen, 2000, pp. 36-37)
Both of the poems are depicting the way which is taken by someone. That “way” is
depicted through the title of each. Wordsworth creation or poem, as the hypo-text uses the term
ways, while the hyper-text from Frost uses the term road. Basically, those two words are the
same, in case of its meaning. In the first stanza, Wordsworth creates the illustration of a specific
girl named Lucy, where this Lucy is ambiguous and is not known and has never been identified
until today. In semiotic term by Saussure, the way and road is the sign, but if it said, then it can
be the signified. In this case the comparative seem match with (Allen, 2000, p. 36) who stated
that all texts, therefore, contain within them the ideological structures and struggles expressed in
society through discourse” by mean that the idea expressed in the poem can depict the discourse
point of view like historic, and cultural point of view.

7. In Wordsworth poem, he stated that Lucy takes the way which is never been touched or
even passed by someone, while Frost wrote “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both” as if he is the one who chase after Lucy, or a doer in that
poem as well. This fact illustrates that both poems share the identical “way”.
In the second stanza of Wordsworth poem, there is a word “mossy stone” which reflects
the way where Lucy had been on, while the other side in Frost poem there is also such similarity
in term of the expressions that is “grassy” which means the grass. Both mossy and grass are also
identical, in which both those words are the way that had been stepped by.
In the third stanza of Wordsworth’s and the fourth stanza of Frost’s, there is an extrinsic
message about the specific voyage where the main character of the poem is doing the journey,
but they are in hesitation whether they can possibly be back. The hypo is from Wordsworth
where he draws “She lived unknown” and “her grave”. As the result, Frost depicted “I doubted if
I should ever come back” which possibly tells reader that it is the end of the journey. Moreover
the hypo-text of Frost’s poem continues to picture the immortal ride of “Somewhere ages and
ages” which is never-ending one.
In the third stanza of Wordsworth’ poem, there is one word that is the same as fourth
stanza in Frost’s poem; difference. Semiotic-ally, those words depict the same illustration of the
same content of these poems. Both of the authors’ imagination about the “one” whose ways
stepped by, are the same idea. In addition, the difference here can possibly considered as the
decision of the main character of both poems.
C. CONCLUSION
Both of those poems are similar in some extent, in which they share the same idea, and
message as well. Wordsworth as well as Frost has the same notion about their poems, but in this
case the predecessor of the poem, Wordsworth is the hypo-text, while the hyper-text is on Frost’s
poem. This may be happening in a matter of literary works, and this is fine as long as the
intertextuality is not too similar. In short, as well as (Allen, 2000, p. 37) stated that a meaning in
the text itself and a meaning in what she calls ‘the historical and social text’.

8. Bibliography
Allen, G. (2000). Intertextuality. London & New York: Routledge.
Castle, G. (2007). The Blackwell Guide to literary theory. UK: Blackwell.
Haberer, A. (2007 ). Intertextuality In Theory And Practice. Literatûra , 49 (5).
Niederhauser, D. S. (2016). Educational Hypertext. Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Rene Wellek, A. W. (1948). theory of literature. united stated of america: harcourt.
Selden, R., Widdowson, P., & Brooker, P. (2005). A Reader’s Guide to contemporary literary
study (fifth edition). UK: pearson (longman).
Zengin, M. (2016). An Introduction To Intertextuality As A Literary Theory: Definitions,
Axioms And The Originators . Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi , 299-
326 .