105 pages • 3 hours read
Cornelia FunkeInkheart
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2003A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Background
Literary Context: Allusions in Inkheart
Funke utilizes literary allusion throughout Inkheart. Allusions are references to objects or topics outside of the text, which are meant to draw on a reader’s preexisting knowledge. Each chapter of Inkheart begins with a quotation from a well-known novel, usually a children’s fantasy novel. These intertextual references cue readers, particularly readers who are familiar with a range of widely celebrated literary works, to expect certain thematic features in each chapter.
Chapter 3: “Going South” begins with a quote from The Wind in the Willows about the dangers of leaving the safety of the woods (21). Journeys and adventures are major themes throughout The Wind in the Willows; characters experience excitement, triumph, and tribulation when they leave the woods. This reinforces young protagonist Meggie’s anxiety at leaving the safety of her home and hints that she will encounter a range of unexpected and exciting events on her adventure.
Literary allusion is also used to cue readers to approaching danger and adversity. Chapter 48: “The Magpie” begins with a quote from T. H. White’s The Book of Merlin: “But they woke him early with words, their cruel, bright weapons” (432). The reader is forewarned that Mortola the Magpie will be threatening, cruel, and sinister in her meeting with 
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