Quotations, intertextual references, models and myths in the presidential debate of the Czech Parliament

Abstract

The essence of political communication is seen in the permanent struggle for power. The situation is no different in parliamentary settings where dissent is the driving force of events. The unceasing conflict, whether it is real or staged, can be observed above all in the mediatised forms of parliamentary discourse which take place when medially exposed or voters’ sensitive topics are on the program or when political ceremonial events are celebrated. These manifest a finer rhetorical elaboration and a greater presence of quotations and intertextual references. This paper focuses on the debates in the Czech Parliament (Poslanecká sněmovna) during the presidential election 2008. To start, it examines the impact of the post-communist reality on the selection and the use of intertextual references. Secondly, it considers how the intertextual references used mirror some of the common Czech myths and how the polemic effect of the quotations can be multiplied in the argumentation. To conclude, it traces some additional functions of intertextual references such as framing of a concrete point in complex argumentation or using quotations manipulatively.