Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
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лингводидактика
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Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
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The significance of intertextuality in travelogues: a
narratological analysis
Sitora ISMAILOVA
Bukhara State University
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received June 2024
Received in revised form
10 June 2024
Accepted 25 July 2024
Available online
15 July 2024
This article analyzes the role of intertextuality in travelogues
through narratological analysis. The study focuses on how
intertextual elements, including direct quotations and allusions,
form a chain of tradition within the genre and create a connection
between the author, narrator, and traveler. The methodology
includes a detailed study of intertextual references in travelogues,
especially in the works of authors such as Ella Maillard in her
Turkestan Solo. The results confirm that intertextual connections
not only enhance the authenticity of travel stories, but also enrich
the text, giving it depth and expanding the reader
’
s horizons of
perception, and also contribute to cultural dialogue and the
destruction of stereotypes.
2181-3701
/©
2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss4-pp276-280
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
intertextuality,
travelogues,
narratology,
travel writing,
Ella Maillart.
Sayohatnomalarda intertekstuallikning ahamiyati: narratologik
tahlil
ANNOTATSIYA
Kalit so‘zlar
:
intertekstuallik,
Traveloglar,
narratologiya,
sayohat yozuvlari,
Ella Maillard.
Tadqiqot narratologik tahlil orqali sayohatnomalarda
intertekstuallikning ma’nosiga qaratilgan. To‘g‘ridan
-
to‘g‘ri
iqtiboslardan tortib ishoralargacha bo‘lgan matnlar o‘rtasidagi
aloqalarni o‘z ichiga olgan intertekstuallik sayohat hikoyalarini
tahlil qilishda hal qiluvchi rol o‘ynaydi. Tadqiqot vazifasi
intertekstual elementlar janr ichida an’analar zanjirini qanday
yaratishini va yozuvchi, hikoyachi va sayohatchi o‘rtasida ko‘prik
qurishini tushunishdir. Metodologiya traveloglarda intertekstual
havolalarni sinchkovlik bilan o‘rganishni o‘z ichiga oladi, bun
da
to‘g‘ridan
-
to‘g‘ri tirnoq va ishoralarga e’tibor qaratiladi. Natijalar
shuni ko‘rsatadiki, intertekstuallik sayohat hikoyalarining
1
PhD student, Bukhara State University. E-mail: Ismailova.sitora@inbox.ru
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue
–
2
№
4 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
277
ishonchliligini oshiradi va muallifning bilim va nuqtai nazarini
namoyish etadi. Ella Mayyarning
“
Turkisan Solo
”
kitobidagi
misollardan foydalangan holda, tadqiqot intertekstuallik
sayohatnomalarni qanday boyitishini, haqiqiy muhit yaratishini
va o‘quvchilarni jalb qilishini ko‘rsatadi. Tadqiqot
natijalari
madaniyatlar o‘rtasida ko‘prik qurish va stereotiplarni engishda
intertekstuallikning muhimligini ta’kidlaydi.
Значение
интертекстуальности
в
травелогах:
нарратологический анализ
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
интертекстуальность,
травелоги,
нарратология,
путевые заметки,
Элла Майяр.
В
данной
статье
анализируется
роль
интертекстуальности в рассказах о путешествиях через
нарратологический анализ. Исследование сосредоточено
на том, как интертекстуальные элементы, включая прямые
цитаты и аллюзии, формируют цепочку традиций внутри
жанра и создают связь между автором, рассказчиком и
путешественником. Методология включает детальное
изучение интертекстуальных ссылок в травелогах,
особенно в работах таких авторов, как Элла Майяр в её
«Туркестанском соло». Результаты подтверждают, что
интертекстуальные
связи
не
только
усиливают
достоверность рассказов о путешествиях, но и обогащают
текст, придавая ему глубину и расширяя горизонты
восприятия читателя, а также способствуют культурному
диалогу и разрушению стереотипов.
INTRODUCTION
Intertextuality involves a complex network of connections between texts, ranging
from direct quotations and allusions to subconscious influences and parodies.
Intertextuality also involves assumptions about the reader, the situation being
referenced, and its context. "The concept of intertextuality, as described by Riffaterre
[11.p25], revolves around the reader's perception of the relationship between a literary
work and others that have come before or after it. Riffaterre even suggests that
intertextuality is integral to the nature of literature itself, stating that "it is the specific
mechanism by which literary reading produces meaning, as opposed to linear reading,
which produces meaning only and is common to both literary and non-literary texts.
Every literary text has meaning, and every reader seeks to extract it. Based on the
reader's background knowledge, each reader interprets the text differently. It is now
believed that literary works consist of systems, a variety of codes, and traditions
established by previous literary works. Moreover, scholars assume that texts, whether
literary or non-literary, are now considered by modern theorists to be devoid of any
independent meaning [1. p36]. Intertextuality within the travel narratives creates this
chain of tradition within the genre [12.p96]. Therefore, the definition of intertextual
elements plays a crucial role in the analysis of travelogues. It also builds a bridge
between the writer, the narrator, and the traveler from a narratological point of view,
each of whom had a strong background knowledge from previous writers.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue
–
2
№
4 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
278
LITERARY REVIEW\METHODOLOGY
The individual level of author, narrator, and protagonist can be observed very well
within intertextuality [12.p96]. The direct quotation that the author brings into his works
can be counted as "narrator knowledge", where this intertextual marker contributes to
the authenticity of the travelogue. The allusion or indirect reference to other written
works can be affirmed as the author's perspective. Finally, sometimes the author creates
such an atmosphere as if he were surpassing the historian or a great traveler with their
books in his luggage. This kind of literary method brings us to the perspective of the
protagonist. This article examines intertextual relationships within the travelogues of the
Western traveler Ella Maillart, who visited Turkistan in 1933-1934. The article examines
her accounts of nomads in her travelogue "Turkistan Solo" from a narratological
perspective using the intertextual method.
DISCUSSION AND RESULTS
Travel writing, travel literature, and travelogues are several names of one of the
oldest forms of literature [4.p99], in which the writer not only records his or her
destination but also informs the reader about different, exotic cultures and lifestyles of
ingenious people. Before Edward Said's Orientalism, the travelogue was an insignificant
genre in the eyes of literary analysts, belonging to famous literature and the commercial
sphere [3.p24]. In doing so, they overlook it as unworthy of their critical scrutiny. Said's
Orientalism, however, catapults the genre into the critical spotlight [7.pp8-9] It is
analyzed that in this type of writing, the author not only describes his or her destination
but also provides insight into the diverse and exotic cultures and lifestyles of the
indigenous people [13.p25], delineating his or her encounter with indigenous peoples
and cultures from the first-person perspective to his or her home readership. [2.p54]
Travelers do this in several ways. They bring in quotations from the previous traveler's
works as a trigger in the reader's mind to make a connection with another literary text.
Such an example can be seen in Ella Maillart's "Turkistan Solo" where she brings in a
quote from Pere Huc: "The descendants of Timur and Jenghiz Khan are a source of much
alarm to us, and keenly our eyes sweep the plains which they share with wolves"[5.p15].
Here Ella Maillart goes on to explain the fear of the "yellow peril"[10.p71] that was
stereotyped by Westerners in the 19th century. In analyzing this literary device, readers
may feel the political situation of the time and fully understand the traveler's condition,
will and thoughts on such matters. However, each reader may interpret it differently
based on his or her background knowledge, social upbringing, and lifestyle. "The horses
of these barbarians were extremely numerous. The khan lived in a huge tent decorated
with flowers of gold so bright that they dazzled the beholder. [5.p50] This quote implies
the former glory of the Eastern Khan and adds authenticity by quoting the words of the
famous 6th-century historian and traveler Xang Zang. By quoting such writers as Boris
Polinyak, Ervin Kish, and Henry de Monfreid, referencing historical figures such as Atilla,
Amir Temur, Jengiz Khan, General Fon Kaufman, travelers such as Plano Carpini, Sir Aurel
Stain, and Ella Maillart, the narrator's level of knowledge becomes more crucial within
intertextuality.
This article shows that the creation of trust in the author can be examined from a
narratological perspective in travelogues through intertextual references such as
allusion. From Genette's point of view, allusion is only one manifestation of
intertextuality within transtextuality as a device for the "formation of intertextual
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue
–
2
№
4 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
279
patterns", the cardinal manifestation of intersemanticity [6.p2]. It must be remembered
that every intertext that appears in another text has been edited, selected, transformed,
and even distorted by the author to suit her purposes [9.p82]. Thus, writers make
indirect references to previous literary works through echoes, reimaginings, and
allusions, demonstrating their "knowledge of the authors. "With the pink kerchief of
crocheted cotton on her head, there is something of a tired Madonna in her appearance"
[5.p66]. Here, Maillart's encounter with provincial people recalls Levinas's cheerful
attitude towards the "other": "The Other has a face, and it is a sacred book in which the
good is recorded" [8. p35]. About Leonardo da Vinci's most famous work, Ella Maillart
draws a comparison between an ordinary Kyrgyz woman and a well-known symbol of
motherhood and humility. Through this juxtaposition, the traveler aims to highlight the
similarities between the two cultures and challenge the stereotypes of the Western view
of the Orient. As a travel writer, Maillart wants to build bridges between cultures and
provoke readers to pay attention to the similarities rather than the differences. One of the
subtitles of her book "Turkistan Solo" is "Bukhara the Fallen," an allusion that also serves
as an example of the author's knowledge from a narratological perspective. In the 16th
century, Bukhara was considered a center of civilization.
"Bokhara, famous for its hundred
and fifty thousand inhabitants, city of storks, stronghold of Muslim science and the power of
Islam, where twenty thousand students from all over the world gathered in one hundred
and fifty madrasas: what are you now?"[5.p254] Ella says, alluding to its former glory.
Throughout the travel narrative, the reader can feel the author's contrast-orientalist view
by looking through the lines one by one. By using indirect quotations and allusions to
previous literary works, the writer not only creates an authentic atmosphere, but also
creates a noticeable commitment to his work. We can see this in the following example. The
reference to the determined Trojans, who worked tirelessly for their enemies and ultimately
won the war, parallels Capa's efforts. Capa, Ella Maillart's expedition partner, exerted great
effort to reach the summit of Tian Shan, which Maillart struggled to climb the next day.
"Brave Capa, you must have worked like a Trojan to do all this on foot yesterday"[5.p107].
"The interest of travel writers lies not only in the discovery of the world described,
but also in the discovery of the world described" [12.68]. "Beneath the cascades, great
ferns arch, and the whole scene is imbued with a crystalline, virginal atmosphere such as
Melville found when he discovered the valley of the Typee" [5.p91]. While the narrator
provides an example of a traveler and his journey, the reader may feel as if the author is
on a journey with the book of Herman Melville. Melville, who lived among cannibals,
vividly described his travels, and Maillart was as excited as Melville when she discovered
the untouched by civilization valley of Kirgiz. She mentions the extraordinary journeys of
Odyssey, Ulugbek and Huan Zang by showing the protagonist's perspective.
CONCLUSION
In travelogues such as "Turkistan Solo" by Ella Maillart, the author paints a vivid
picture of the customs, traditions, and daily lives of the local people, while at the same
time providing rich descriptions of the places visited. Intertextuality, which refers to the
intricate web of connections between texts, can manifest itself in a variety of ways,
including direct quotations, subtle references, subconscious influences, and playful
imitations. These narratives are part of a larger tradition within the travel writing genre,
influenced by the reader's existing knowledge and personal experiences. By
incorporating references to other literary works or making indirect allusions, the author
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika
–
Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика
–
Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Issue
–
2
№
4 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
280
reinforces his or her unique perspective. The intertextual elements enrich travel writing
by creating a deeper connection between the author, the storyteller, and the reader,
ultimately resulting in a more profound and engaging narrative.
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