The article deals with the functions of the intertextual inclusions; special attention is paid to the characterization function in the artistic discourse. The concepts of linguistic personality and intertextual thesaurus are under consideration. The examples of the use of the intertextual inclusions in the characterization function are given in Russian and English.

The articled deals with the main directions of intertextuality research and the prospects of their development. It is noted that, despite the huge number of works devoted to various aspects of intertextuality, there is still great interest in this issue. The research analysis regarding the intertextuality issue allows the conclusion about several approaches to research it. It is emphasized that there are no strict limits between them, the elements of integration with other approaches can be found. It is also noted that a number of research works can hardly be referred to any of the mainstream.