Thomas Foster writes, “This dialogue between old texts and new is always going o

Thomas Foster writes, “This dialogue between old texts and new is always going on at one level
or another. Critics speak of this dialogue as intertextuality, the ongoing interaction between
poems or stories. This intertextual dialogue deepens and enriches the reading experience,
bringing multiple layers of meaning to the text, some of which readers may not even
consciously notice” (34).
Your job in this essay is to make us conscious of these “multiple layers of meaning”—show us
how one of the readings we’ve discussed so far and another reading from Authoring America
speak to one another. You choose the readings—the only rule is that one needs to be a reading
we’ve covered, and one needs to be a reading we haven’t covered yet or that isn’t on the
reading list for the semester.
Do not write in generalities—cite specific lines or brief passages (less than four lines of type in
your essay) to show us these connections.
Details:
• This essay should be 4-5 pages in MLA format.
• Your paper should explore the recurrence of a particular literary element (e.g., a
conflict, a theme, an image, a symbol, a setting, a character type, etc.) in two works.
• It should use only the two readings being compared—no outside sources.
• This essay should include in-text citations and a Works Cited page.
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