LFTVD - INTERTEXTUALITY - SOCIAL CONTEXT

SOCIAL CONTEXT: A QUICK EXPLANATION

Social context refers to how media texts reflect and represent the structures and relationships within society. This includes class, gender roles, family structures, power relations, education, crime, inequality, institutions (such as the police or government - although this does cross over with culture), and social hierarchies. Social context focuses on how people live, interact, and are positioned within society, and how media reflects or challenges social norms, values, and behaviours. For example, representations of patriarchy, authority, youth culture (which obviously crosses over with culture - the clue is in the name), or marginalisation are usually considered to be social issues rather than cultural ones.

‘Long form television dramas lack originality; no matter which country they are made in, they all use intertextuality in the same way.’ How far do you agree with this statement?

Both Stranger Things and D83 make use of intertextuality to explore social contexts; this is especially true when considering the representation of empowered women. Applying Van Zoonen to both shows, allows us to note that the historical diegesis provides a realistic depiction of the patriarchal structures experienced by women in the 1980s. In both West Germany, and Hawkins Indiana, women are represented in domestic roles: Yvonne Edel and Karen Wheeler are both housewives. Similarly, in the world of work, Frau Netz and Hopper’s dispatcher, Flo, are subordinate within the male dominated workplace. However, while men, quite realistically dominate the social order, women are not objectified in the way that Van Zoonen would have us expect. Instead, we see the use of intertextuality to present very nuanced and empowered female characters across both series. All three of the female protagonists in Stranger Things  are leant complexity by the use of intertextuality. Joyce shares an intertextual world with her son, and their shared understanding of Poltergeist allows them to communicate through the walls; Nancy looks set to embody the ‘last girl’ horror archetype, but is also an intertextual reference to the intrepid teen detective Nancy Drew; and 11 calls on the audiences intertextual awareness of both E.T. and the dangerous psychic girls of Steven King’s ‘Carrie’ and ‘Firestarter.’ I would argue that the Duffer brother’s are unique, but subsequently much copied, in the way they control intertextuality, using it not to just evoke nostalgia, but to drive elements of characterisation and to challenge social conventions around the depiction of women. This challenge to social conventions is also present in the depiction of D83’s Lenora, a woman in power in a male-dominated field, succeeding by being ruthlessly efficient. This representation may be designed to appeal to modern audiences due to its (somewhat) feminist ideological implications. However, it must also be acknowledged that she could simply be an intertextual reference to a generic trope; as Neale suggests, she may be an example of repetition, referencing powerful, ruthless women like ‘M’ of the Bond franchise. However, yet another possibility remains, which is very much in keeping with the political contexts of the show. It may be that Lenora is intended to construct the preferred reading that communist Germany was egalitarian in its promotion of women to positions of power, challenging the socio-historic assumptions about Germany's fractured past. Again, it is hard to say if this is truly unique, but it is certainly true that both texts are making very different and varied use of intertextuality in relation to social context.

2026 Question: “Economic contexts are more influential on the way that programme makers use intertextuality than social, cultural or historical contexts." How far do you agree with this statement?

While economic context plays a significant role in shaping intertextuality, social context also influences how programme makers deploy intertextual references, particularly in the representation of women. Applying Van Zoonen to both Stranger Things and D83 reveals that their use of intertextuality is shaped by social structures, especially patriarchal power relations embedded within their historical settings. Both series construct recognisable domestic and workplace roles for women that reflect the social realities of the 1980s: Karen Wheeler and Yvonne Edel are positioned within domestic spaces, while Flo in Stranger Things and Frau Netz in D83 occupy subordinate roles within male-dominated institutions. These representations align with Van Zoonen’s view that gender is socially constructed and historically situated. However, what is significant is how intertextuality is used not to reinforce objectification, but to complicate it. In Stranger Things, intertextual references actively shape female characterisation: Joyce’s shared intertextual world with her son (e.g. Poltergeist) enables agency through communication; Nancy combines the “final girl” horror archetype with the Nancy Drew detective tradition; and Eleven draws on intertextual associations with E.T., Carrie and Firestarter, constructing a hybrid figure of vulnerability and power. These references do not simply evoke nostalgia but function socially, challenging conventional gender representations. Similarly, D83’s Lenora represents a socially disruptive figure within a male-dominated power structure. Her character can be read intertextually as drawing on familiar tropes of powerful women (such as the Bond franchise’s ‘M’), which reflects Neale’s idea of repetition. However, within the social and ideological context of the series, her representation also constructs a preferred reading of socialist egalitarianism, implying that communist systems enabled women’s access to institutional power. This suggests that intertextuality here is shaped by social and ideological meaning-making rather than purely economic calculation. Therefore, although economic context may be an important structural influence on intertextuality, this comparison demonstrates that social context plays a distinct and meaningful role in shaping how intertextual references are selected, framed and interpreted, challenging the claim that economic factors are more influential than social ones.