The Leftovers: An Intermedial Dialogue

Abstract

The aim this dissertation is to analyse the literary influences that can be apprehended in the TV series The Leftovers, created by Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrota. For that purpose, this dissertation will consider some literary works that operate as significant intertexts in The Leftovers, whilst also unearthing the references and possible implicit reminiscences that the TV dramas encloses, thus showcasing the imprint and dialogical nature of digital cultural products, such as this particular TV series, and the literary tradition at large. In addition to this, this dissertation will also delve into the use of different literary instantiations, exploring how these help to create a particular dystopian atmosphere. Regarding methodology, the concept of “intertextuality”, understood as the established dialogue between different works of the literary tradition, will be employed in order to illustrate the connections uniting the selected works. Given the fact that the primary works belong to different media, the subsequent development of this concept {i.e., “intermediality”} will also be addressed, which is postulated by Irinia O. Rajewsky in her essay entitled “Intermediality, Intertextuality, and Remediation: a Literary Perspective on Intermediality”