Intermedial Aspects of Literary Text in Western European Esthetic Thought (The Beginning of XX-XXI Centuries)

Abstract

The relevance of the chosen topic lies in setting of a broad cultural problem – the problem of intermediality, which is being developed by foreign researchers. The aim of the work is to identify the manifestations of the principles of intermediality in different kinds of art of the second half of the XX century based on a comprehensive analysis. The problem is examined by the material of Christa Wolf’s novel “Medea. Voices” and the screen adaptation of the antique plot directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini “Medea”. The works of the authors, interpreting the ancient story of Medea, were compared by several criteria. The article considers several meanings of the notion “intermediality” that are applicable to the mentioned works. The comparison allows concluding the proximity of interpretations belonging to different kinds of art. The term “intermediality” is used in the investigated works in its transmedial, ontological, partly transformational meanings, outlined in the article. There is no single terminological framework, and therefore researchers have different approaches to the theory of this issue.   The article explores various methodological approaches to studying intermediality, aiming to categorize its diverse interpretations, including those by V. Wolff, I. Schroeter, O.A. Hansen Lowe, and others. Among these scholarly discussions, the most compelling argument for intermediality is perhaps the figurative presence of structures within creative works that incorporate elements from other art forms.

Numerous examples of intermediality in literature, cinema, painting, music, and drama from the early 20th to the 21st centuries, manifesting in various forms, underscore the broad significance of this phenomenon for both the literary and cultural landscape of these periods and for the creative output of certain artists.

Examining aspects of intermediality through the interpretation of literary texts by 20th- and 21st-century authors, particularly those based on the ancient narrative of Medea, proves to be especially intriguing. The Medea theme serves as a prime example of the universal nature of intermediality in the culture of these periods. Consequently, the study offers examples of creative texts and their reimagining across various artistic disciplines. . In contemporary discourse, intermediality is broadly understood as a universal artistic principle fundamental to literature. It is also understood more narrowly as an authorial strategy, serving as both a means of text organization and a methodology of analysis.