Intertextuality

This ad featuring Jay-Z is a great example of horizontal intertextuality because the connections the viewer makes all happen within the genre of music (and Jay-Z in particular). Each of Jay-Z's different poses is supposed to mimic his poses on each of his past album covers. Because this commercial for Rhapsody is in effect comparing Jay-Z's new CD to his previous CDs, the viewer brings their past experiences with Jay-Z and his music (the old texts) to their interpretation of his new album (the new text). I love the line that says "Jay-Z fans get it" because it shows that fans have to draw on their previous knowledge of Jay-Z to understand the commercial.


For vertical intertextuality, this Volkswagen ad is a great example of the reader having to make connections across genres. The ad is meant to imitate the work of M. C. Escher, so the viewer has to compare cultural texts from two different genres (advertising and art). M. C. Escher created a series of prints depicting impossible scenarios, such as "Relativity," the source for this ad, in which people climbed stairways going in all directions. Only if the reader is familiar with M. C. Escher's work will they completely understand the message of the ad.