THE FUNCTION OF INTERTEXTUALITY IN CONSTRUCTING COLLECTIVE MEMORY IN KHALED HOSSEINI’S NOVELS

Abstract

This article examines the function of intertextuality as a mechanism for constructing and transmitting collective memory in the novels of Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini, with primary focus on The Kite Runner (2003), A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007), and And the Mountains Echoed (2013). Integrating Kristeva’s theory of intertextuality, Genette’s concept of transtextuality, and Assmann’s cultural memory framework, the study analyzes how Hosseini employs allusions to Persian classical poetry, Quranic narrative, Afghan oral traditions, and historical trauma to construct a literary archive of Afghan collective memory. Through qualitative close reading and textual analysis, the research identifies three primary intertextual functions: memorialization, identity negotiation, and diasporic mourning. The findings demonstrate that intertextuality in Hosseini’s fiction operates not merely as a literary device but as a form of cultural testimony, preserving endangered collective memories and mediating them to global readerships unfamiliar with Afghan cultural heritage. The study contributes to the intersecting fields of diaspora literature, postcolonial literary studies, and cultural memory research.