HOUSE M.D. AND SHERLOCK HOLMES: ALLUSIVE INTERTEXTUAL ELEMENTS

Intertextuality refers to the relationship among texts and can be observed both horizontally between the texts of similar genres and vertically between the texts of different genres. This relationship can be built through several literary devices, one of which is allusion. In this study, a vertical intertextual analysis was aimed at in the texts of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and the world-famous TV series House, M.D. with a special focus on allusions. These elements were detected by three steps including notice, track, and become familiar. Then they were categorized in terms of explicit and implicit references. The results of the study point out that the House M.D. series is a highly allusive text, and it is thought that the allusions contribute to the success of this long-running series. Considering the target audience of both works, it can be thought that recognizing these allusions can be an enjoyable activity for the audience and guarantee a certain audience for the series. In this context, allusive intertextual elements can be considered not only as stylistic tools, but also as tools that provide familiarity and recognition for the alluded text.