Analyzing Intertextual Relations Between “Othello” and “Season of Migration to the North”

Abstract

This paper explores the intertextual elements between Shakespearean text Othello and Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North using Bazerman’s (2004) model of intertextuality. The study sheds light on the process of influence and transformation of the text Othello when situated in the context of culture. The study shows that all the explicit and implicit elements of intertextuality between selected texts foregrounded how narratives are created using characters and symbols from a particular culture to create ruptures in the European culture.  Further, the research substantiated the Shakespearean narrative by providing parallel analysis of Season of Migration to the North where symbols, signs and characters lost their original representation and come up with different significations and meaning which challenge the prior discourse. The study proved that there are a visible similarities at some events and actions between the selected texts. It is observed that in the Seasons of Migration to the North events like the protagonist nationality and the setting of the novel stands for symbols such as the handkerchief and tragic ending. Some thematic patterns directly refer to the play Othello. From the intertextuality perspective, the study shows that there is a noticeable parallel at some places in Othello and Season of Migration to the North. The texts manifest similar events and similar themes, techniques elements and style of narrating the novel.

Keywords: Intertextuality, Shakespeare, Tayeb Saleh, Bazerman, Othello, Season of Migration to the North.

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/60-01

Publication date:September 30^th 2019