Document Type
Paper
Publication Date
Spring 2023
Abstract
Intertextuality is a theoretical notion which enables a critic to analyze the way a writer’s story is the sum of the stories the writer has read and which can examine how human identity is also constructed from reading. Within Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief and Nora Krug’s Belonging, the writers find their story and identity through reading, their relationship with words mirroring their relationship with themselves, others, and the world. The Book Thief details the story of Liesel Meminger, showcasing how her entire life is shaped by words and emphasizing how her growth as a reader leads her to have the words to write. Belonging displays Krug’s journey to finding her identity through a graphic memoir in the form of a scrapbook. As Krug finds the truth about her family’s history, she finds the stories that allow her to finally write her own.
Recommended Citation
Kortenhoeven, Jenna, "The Stories Already Written: An Intertextual Analysis of The Book Thief and Belonging" (2023). English Senior Capstone. 26.
https://pillars.taylor.edu/english-student/26
Notes
Course: ENG 493, Senior Capstone (Dr. Lorne Mook)
Faculty Project Advisor: Dr. Aaron Housholder