Intertextuality
In the work of Roland Barthes, intertextuality is the concept that the meaning of an artistic work does not reside in that work, but in the viewers.
In the work of Julia Kristeva, intertextuality suggests the interdependence of texts, the continual deferment of meaning through and between texts.
and/or
Relationship between two or more texts that quote from one another, allude to one another, or otherwise connect. New Testament passages that quote from the Old Testament are one example of intertextuality. Another example is Old Testament books such as Deuteronomy or the prophets that refer to the stories found in Exodus. Whereas a redaction critic would use such intertextuality to argue for a particular order and process of the authorship of the books in question, literary criticism takes a synchronic view that deals with the texts in their final form, as an interconnected body of literature. Some postmodern theorists like to talk about the relationship between "intertextuality" and "hypertextuality" - hypertextuality being the sort of jumping around one does on the world wide web.
Intertextuality in Pop Culture
Intertextuality is almost omnipresent in modern popular culture as it resonates with a young audience which is renowned for its cynicism.
Intertextuality occurs frequently in popular media such as television shows, novels and even interactive video games. In these cases intertextuality is often used to provide depth to the fictional reality portrayed in the medium, such as characters in one television show mentioning characters from another. Fox Television's The O.C. is a perfect example of television using intertextuality, with its frequent references to comic book and movie characters such as Spiderman and Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker.
Notable examples of intertexuality include the animated series Futurama and Family Guy, which are almost entirely dependent on intertextual references as a source of humor.