Intertextuality Short Answer question essay on "Fortress" and "After the last death"

Essay by vanjabA-, November 2003

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1)What was the title, author, and context of your novel?

"Fortress" was first published in 1980 by "Chatto, Bodley Head, Jonathan Cape", and written by Gabrielle Lord. I think it was written for two possible reasons.

Firstly, "After The First Death" was published only a year before - a very similar text about kidnapping, male versus female, mental sickness, terrorism, and father son relationships. Several of these issues are also presented in "Fortress", which is why I think the success of "After The First Death" inspired "Fortress".

But since the first publishing date does not represent the date the book was written, it might have occurred that they were both written at the same time, inspired by a third entity. I found that there were two significant kidnappings in the few years before 1980. On the 16th of March, left wing terrorists who killed five bodyguards kidnapped former Italian premier Aldo Moro, he was found dead on the 9th of may.

ON the 14th of February 1979, in Kabul, Muslim extremists kidnapped American ambassador to Afghanistan. Adolph Dubs was later killed during a gunfight between his kidnappers and police. I think it is a possible that these two events sparked a similar thought inside these two authors.

2)What was it about? What does it mean?

"Fortress" by Gabrielle Lord is about a small school in the Australian country and their female teacher, from the city, being kidnapped by four armed men in cartoon character disguises. It soon turns into a struggle where the teacher is constantly out smarting the "terrorists". After running away for a second time they decide enough is enough and set up camp to defend them selves, and call their hideout a "fortress". This means that the whole story is basically focused on...