Aesthetic And Intertextual Analysis Of ‘The Forty Rules Of Love’ by Elif Shafak

Abstract

A Russian philosopher and theorist, Leo Tolstoy gave the Theory of Art. According to  Leo Tolstoy, literature has capability to affect and true art is the one reader gets to experience the same feelings or emotions that the writer has experienced. This research has been conducted through the theoretical perspective of Aestheticism with Analytical method of Fairclough that explores the intertextuality of Forty Rules of Love. Intertextuality as a literary art generates multiple meanings and conveys spiritual themes across cultures. It has been explored with the respect to Tolstolian features that are Clarity of expressions, Sincerity and Truth. The intertextuality of the novel has been  discussed with the reference to Norman Fairclough's Model of Discourse. The study considers the Discourse Practice Dimension and The Sociocultural Practice Dimension of Fairclough's Model to explore the intertextuality. This study has used the descriptive methodology, in specific The Correlation Study to develop certain research questions. This study explores the relationship between Art as independent variable and Intertextuality as dependent variable. The present dissertation explores the intertextual connections such as adherence to aesthetic principles, various integrated texts and discourses and multi- layered narratives that show the art of author's creativity of presenting the cohesive and thought-provoking piece of literature.