9-17-12 Porter IWA

Greg Warman   

9-17-12

English 1510

Informal Writing Assignment – James E. Porter

After reading the article “Intertextuality and the Discourse Community,” I had an understanding of the point Porter was trying to get across.  I do agree that almost anything one writes today has some aspects or underlying resemblance to another piece of writing that has already taken place.  This explains his idea of intertextuality in a nut shell.  Basically, all texts contain some traces of other texts, resulting in no text ever being completely original and not containing some idea from another text. 

Porter’s argument of “intertextuality” can be found abundantly in research papers.  The research papers are based off of research.  This research involved citing and quoting research done by others, therefore the newly created research paper holds ideas and information from a previous writing.  This is how Porter’s idea of nothing is original came about.  Anything you say, write, do, or technically think, someone, somewhere, somehow has already done it. 

Another example of Porter’s theory is the use of intertextuality in the media.  In many parody films, movies, and tv shows, it’s very common to see them poke fun of common popular culture and society.  Whether it is an event, another movie, another show, or even just a character from a different show, by using them in their own show, it’s an active example of intertextuality. The parody show/movie is taking something else and putting it in their own show/movie.

 All in all, Porter’s explanation of nothing ever technically being original is in most parts true.  There can virtually always be something in a writing, movie, tv show, or just a plain idea that can be found in some other writing, movie, tv show, or idea.