4) Reflection

I was always a fan of Shrek growing up, and really enjoyed all the references to other films I liked. So when I first read about Intertextuality I knew that Shrek would be a great example. When deciding on another concept to use, I decided on Textual Poaching because I knew that there was a huge Shrek fandom, and I often see Shrek memes and videos floating around the internet and social media. After doing some research, I found out just how present Intertextuality is within the films, and also how huge the Shrek fandom is. Through using it as a case study, I have realised what a great tool Intertextuality can be, as it makes the potential audience for a film much larger and is also a creative way of implementing humor in a film. As well as this, it creates a sense of familiarity in a film and also rewards the audience. I think it can be argued that without the use of Intertextuality in Shrek, it would not be the huge successful franchise that it is today, as it is part of what made the films so unique and entertaining. I also believe that the huge amount of interaction and textual poaching in the Shrek fandom is part of the reason that the franchise is still alive and growing. Without the dedicated fandom staying active and showing they’re interest, it would not have been able to keep going for as long as it has. Another lesson I have learn is how common Intertextuality is within films. Through partaking in the analysis of this case study and also doing research, I have realised that Intertextuality is much more common than I previously thought, and it can often go unnoticed. An example of this is the optional Intertextuality between ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’, which I only realised since doing this research, however it is quite obvious that the core narratives share quite a lot of similarities. I think engaging with this case study will impact my future media consumption as I will be more aware and knowledgeable of Intertextuality when I see it being utilized.