The following short text was an assignment we were given before our winter holidays.
Intertextuality
According to Julia Kristeva’s concept of intertextuality, the intelligibility of a text depends on and is transformed by other texts. In other words, we can understand and interpret what we read only by relating it to a preexisting body of discourse. This can be easily noticed when we associate what we are reading to words or ideas we have already read or heard. This notion of intertextuality is closely related to the concept of originality, which can be defined as the quality of something that is “completely new and different from anything that anyone has thought of before”[1]. Taking into account this definition, it can be asserted that no text is original but a transformation of other pieces of writing, as Roland Barthes states.
In the case of Henry Shukman’s poem, The Call, the relationship it has with other texts becomes apparent as soon as we realize it is about unattainable love at distance: how many times have we read books, seen movies or listened to songs about it? The answer is probably “many”. For instance, the song Distant Lover by Marvin Gaye and the poem Distance Love by Ravi Sathasivam are also about lovers who are miles away one from the other. In the latter, though no reference is made to any technological device as in the case of The Call, it may be interpreted that the lovers do not know each other personally but by some means of communication. Other poems of this author do make reference to technology in an explicit way, such as I miss you on the net and My Internet Love. Therefore, it can be said that mentioning technological devices in literature is not new, not different, not original. Similarly, the sadness the man in The Call feels for his apparently unattainable love may be compared to that felt by the man in the song Impossible Love by Ub40. In fact, in both texts sadness is related to nature: “without you: just me and the trees baring themselves” and “The rose in the garden doesn’t bloom any more”.
To sum up, it can be affirmed that intertextuality and originality are two closely related concepts, since the former makes the latter nonexistent. Finally, it must be highlighted that the unoriginality of a text does not mean it is wrong, but that it derives of a previous work and that, in the same way, it will influence those texts written later.
Distant Lover
Distant lover, lover (lover, lover, lover)
So many miles away
Heaven knows that I long for you
Every night, every night
I plan, sometimes I dance
Through the day
Distant lover (lover, lover, lover)
You should think about me
And say a prayer for me
Please, please baby
Think about me sometimes
Think about me here
Here in misery
Misery
As I reminisce, oh baby,
through our joyful summer together
The promises we made
All the daily letters
Then, all of the sudden
Everything seemed to explode
Now, I gaze out my window
Sugar, down a lonesome road
Distant lover (lover, lover, lover)
Sugar, how can you treat my heart
So mean and cruel
Sugar, sugar
Treat every moment that I spent with you
I treasure every like it was a precious jewel
Please, Lord have mercy
Please, come back, baby
Somethin' I wanna say
When you left
You took all of me with you
Do you wanna hear me scream
Come back and hold me, girl
Distance love
Is it easy for me to love you
When you are far away from me
My heart is calling you always
But the distance keeps us away
Although, we never met each other
But I found your love crystal clear
We have built our love with our hearts
And we are there always for each other
If If have wings, I will fly to you
Across the ocean and lands to be with you
If I could be with you, my pain would fly away
If you hug me, my depression get away
You have captured my heart and soul
And I have nothing to give you other than love
It doesn't matter how far away you live
But I need you beside me now, other than
You make me live as a lonely man.
I miss you on net.......
When I log on my computer
I always look for your mail
Because your mail makes my day
No one else has never touched
my heart the way you have done
My inner feelings stirs in my heart
when I read your mail
Ever since I met you on net
I felt you are a great friend of mine
My emotion touched me hard
when I spoke to you on net
Today, I don't find you on net
I don't know what has happen to you
Although, you don't speak to me on net
but you are in my thought constantly
My heart is grieved when you left me
All that I want you to know how much
I miss you on net.
My internet love.........
There are so many friends come and go
on the net but you are the one I ever loved
I can remember the day how we met
I have yet to see your face and hear your voice
But I felt that you are a great friend of mine
Our friendships were grown up with understandings
but my emotion touched me hard to fall love with you
My inner feelings stirred in my heart with happiness
when you accepted my love with your loving heart
Although, we are separated by big distance
but our hearts start to speak the truth of love
Now, I believe the time will bring us together soon to
make our dream of love, sharing life and making a family
Today, you have made me realize life is great
and for that I will love you until my last journey
My desire for you is never ending and today my
mind, body and soul are engulfed with your love
Impossible love
When we were together
Those were the happiest time in all my life
Now were separated I don`t know what I will do
`cause I can`t ever love another
No matter how hard I try
`cause I know. it`s impossible
Where ever you may be
I hope you`ll hear my song
Then maybe you`ll realise
My love that you were wrong
`cause I can`t ever love another
No matter how hard I try
`cause I know. it`s impossible
The sunset outside my window
Has lost all it`s glow
The rose in the garden
Doesn`t bloom any more
