Intertextuality in the Myth of Hua Mulan, Essay Example

Intertextuality is defined as the shaping of a text’s meaning by another text. The myth of Hua Mulan is a primary example of intertextuality because several versions of the story have been generated and all are necessary to contribute to our understanding of the Chinese tale. While each of the three versions of the story, including the “Ballad of Mulan”, the “Song of Mulan”, and the “Poem of Mulan” contain enough information to stand alone, it is the combination of these three stories that created the full legend of Hua Mulan.

Intertextuality is important in the myth of Hua Mulan because even though all three versions of the tale have overlapping themes, they provide different details which allow us to gain a greater understanding of who Hua Mulan was in addition to her goals. In the “Ballad of Mulan”, we learn of Mulan’s journey in the military and the revelation that she is female. In the “Song of Mulan”, this information is repeated but we have a clearer sense of Mulan’s motivation to join the military; since her brother is too young to fight, she will go in place of her father. Then, in “Poem of Mulan”, there is a more urgent need for someone to replace Mulan’s father in battle.

Ultimately, all three stories contribute to the understanding of a larger picture. Intertextuality allows sources to build upon one another to create a story. This is common for many ancient myths and the story of Hua Mulan is no exception. In fact, this phenomenon has continue to modern recreation of the myth; one could consider the Disney version to be a form of intertextuality as well. It is likely that as long as people are interested in Hua Mulan, adaptations of the story will be made and the intertextuality that makes her tale so fascinating will continue.