This is part 2 of the model text I wrote for the Exploratory Essay we require our grade 11 students to write. We have been conducting research sessions with our grade 11 students since February. They are in Phase 1 of the Research Design Cycle where selecting a topic, doing initial research and preparing an annotated bibliography are essentials. From here on, we will model the feedback mechanism that comes into play in a given exercise.
Exploratory Essay: Understanding Intertextuality as Literary Theory and Strategy in Selected Songs and Music Videos of BTS (2 of 2)
Spring Day is not the only song and music video where intertextuality is present in BTS’ exploration of justice, freedom and individual choices against cultural norms and social structures. In Blood, Sweat & Tears, a BTS track released in 2016, Hermann Hesse’s novel Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair’s Youth is highly referenced as RM, the group’s leader and rapper, reads a passage from the novel while a silhouette of Jhope in blood red background shows him releasing a balloon. The music video contains explicit allusions to the loss of innocence, temptation, and duality. These themes are present in Hesse’s Demian particularly the story arc of Emil Sinclair. The line “He too was a tempter, he too was a link to the second, the evil world” is quoted verbatim in the video, underlining the text’s influence on BTS' exploration of coming-of-age and individuation. Nedelcu (2024) praises this merging of texts as a blend of the East and the West in pop-culture emphasizing the importance of leveraging literature into the mainstream.
BTS did not stop at Hesse. In the music video for ON (Map of the Soul 7, 2020), BTS utilizes biblical imagery and motifs reminiscent of John Milton’s Paradise Lost (Bishoff, 2024). The scene of fallen angels, doves, gates, and suffering heroes in the music video evoke Milton’s vision of rebellion and resilience. The themes of fall and redemption resonate with BTS' own narrative arc of struggle and their desire for transcendence– a way of breaking free from the manufactured and moulded systems of the KPop industry to find artistic freedom and exponential success outside of South Korea. To justify this message of breaking through moulds and the manufacturing line, the final track in the mentioned album, Dionysus, is a direct allusion to the bacchanalian Greek god whose drunkenness led to unbounded creativity. In Greek mythology, Dionysus is from outside the Grecian lineage. He is known to be an outcast who came to Olympus challenging the status quo (Suvani and Del Novo). By using Dionysus as metaphor, BTS laid claim to their agenda of conquering accolades, awards, sold-out stadium shows and a legion of ARMYs in the Western hemisphere. Through these intentional and artful intertextual references—from a movie, authors of renown such as Le Guin, Hesse and Milton to folkloric beliefs Greek mythology—BTS asserts its creative agency, reclaims narrative power, and positions its music as a space where literature, mythology, and pop culture converge to challenge norms and reimagine identity on a global stage. Intertextuality, in this case, is used as both theory and creative strategy that opens up to discourse, eliciting an emotional resonance to fans and audiences that keeps them engaged while basking in a newfound relevance in literature, culture and the arts.
BTS makes use of Intertextuality as a theory and creative
tool to examine themes of justice, freedom and identity. By deriving materials
and borrowing texts from literature, folklore and other forms of media, BTS’
songs and music videos are powerful storytelling strategies that challenge
socio-cultural norms, promote artistic expression and provide the connection
between idols and fans deeply. Given these statements, the working research
question for this academic paper is: how does BTS use intertextuality as both a
literary theory and creative strategy in their songs and music videos to
challenge cultural norms, explore identity, and engage in global discourse?
To answer this question, I will be selecting three YouTube
reactors that discuss BTS’ music videos from three albums, Wings, Young Forever
and Map of the Soul 7, specifically the songs and music videos of Spring Day,
Blood, Sweat and Tears, ON and Dionysus. I have identified five academic
journals that studies the aforementioned music videos and the intertextuality
present in each. I will draw from the analysis a critical review on each song
and the texts and materials used to layer and deepen their meaning. By
comparing academic perspectives with fan interpretations, I hope to uncover how
intertextuality operates across scholarly and popular discourse, and how it
contributes to the cultural impact and relevance of BTS’ work.
References:
Books & Academic Sources:
Baldick, C. (2015). The Oxford dictionary of literary terms
(4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Childs, P., & Fowler, R. (2006). The Penguin dictionary
of literary terms and literary theory (4th ed.). Penguin Books.
Zengin, M. (2016). An introduction to intertextuality as a
literary theory. Journal of Literature and Art Studies, 6(1), 74–84.
https://doi.org/10.17265/2159-5836/2016.01.009
Online Articles & Educational Resources:
Matrix Education. (n.d.). Literary techniques:
Intertextuality. Matrix Education. Retrieved March 18, 2025, from
https://www.matrix.edu.au/literary-techniques-intertextuality/
TeachMedia. (n.d.). Media studies: Intertextuality.
TeachMedia.co.uk. Retrieved March 26, 2025, from
https://teachmedia.co.uk/media-studies-theory/intertextuality/
Suvani, V., &
Del Nevo, M. (n.d.). Dionysus by BTS. Monash University Korean Studies
Research Hub. Retrieved April 2, 2025, from
https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/korean-studies-research-hub/research/the-story-of-a-song2/3-dionysus.-bts-%2C-2019
Lazore, C. (2024). A close read: Spring Day.
Savic, P. (n.d.). The relationship between literature and
music in BTS. University of Split, Croatia.
Nedelcu, D. (2024). Blending cultures in BTS’ Blood, Sweat
and Tears. LINGUACULTURE, 15(2), 54–67. Pop Culture and Audience Reception in a
Transnational Context (N. Reagin & F. Năstase, Eds.). http://www.journal.linguaculture.ro
Bishoff, N. (2024). Revisiting Paradise Lost through K-Pop:
A global approach to teaching writing. George Washington University.
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