Bundelkhand Research Journal
(An Interdisciplinary and Peer Reviewed Journal)
Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundelkhand University, Chhatarpur,
(Madhya Pradesh) India
(A State Government University)
ESTD : 2023
ISSN : 2584-0533
Call for Papers :
Volume-4, Issue(1) June 2026
An Analytical Study of Intertextuality and Genre Play in Samit Basu’s The Gameworld Trilogy: Transition from Epic Tradition to Pop Culture Discourse
School of Studies in English & Research Centre, Maharaja Chhatrasal Bundelkhand University, Chhatarpur (M.P.)
| Article Info | Abstract |
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Article Info
Paper ID
BRJFLHU25145951
Corresponding Author
Srishti Khare
Email
srishtikhare15@gmail.com
DOI
https://doi.org/10.65554/brj.v3i2.06
Received: 03 May 2025
Revised: 29 Nov 2025
Accepted: 08 Dec 2025
Published: 31 Dec 2025
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Samit Basu’s The Gameworld Trilogy is a landmark work in contemporary Indian fantasy writing. The trilogy brings together the narrative structures and symbolic universe of Indian epics with the aesthetics of comics, video games, superhero narratives, and internet culture. This paper explores a detailed analytical study of how Basu uses intertextuality and genre play to negotiate a transition from epic tradition to pop-culture discourse. Drawing upon Julia Kristeva’s concept of intertextuality (Kristeva 15), Gerard Genette’s theory of transtextuality (Genette 5), Linda Hutcheon’s ideas on parody and adaptation (Hutcheon 6), and John Frow’s understanding of genre (Frow 10) as a flexible system, the study examines Basu’s reworking of mythic patterns, his parodic treatment of epic and fantasy conventions, and his extensive use of pop-cultural references. Through close reading of key episodes from all three novels, the paper argues that Basu creates a hybrid narrative mode that both honours and questions epic authority, and that his work signals a new direction for Indian speculative fiction in the twenty-first century. Keywords: Gameworld Trilogy, Fantasy Fiction, Intertextuality, Pop Culture, Samit Basu
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