Intertextuality as viral phrases: Roses and Lilies

This article addresses the phenomenon of "viral intertextuality," or instances of distinct language that appear serially over multiple literary works. It demonstrates how current digital methods make instances of viral intertextuality much easier to detect. It argues for the value of reading such chains of similar phrases together. And it points toward possible improvements in digital detection and analysis methods that would further facilitate this kind of reading. The illustrative example is Vergil's description of Lavinia's blush at Aeneid 12.67-69, along with its predecessor and successor passages.