parody

What is Parody ? Definition , Usage , and Literary Examples

Parody Definition

Aparody( PAIR-uh-dee ) deliberately exaggerate a specific literary genre or author ’ s study for humorous result . This overstated approach let parodies to mimic their author material in a mode that highlights the paper or way of the original . Depending on the goals of the author , a parody may softly review the original text , observe it , or challenge readers to think of it in a fresh light . However , the chief objective of the parodist live to create the reader laugh .

Parodies , in their write figure , are usually a work of fiction or poetry , but they ’ re also prevalent in other media , like movies , television display , and music . This underscores the entertainment value and broad appeal these works posse .

The wordparodycomes from the Greekparōidia, meaning a “ burlesque song or poem. ” English playwright and poet Ben Jonson first expend the term in the 1590s to describe literary works that mimicked “ dignified writing…but are made ridiculous by the ludicrously inappropriate subject or method . ”

The History of Parody

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle claim that Hegemon of Thasos invented parody as it be know today . Hegemon would somewhat change the wording of famous poem to exaggerate their meaning and make them silly and entertaining .

A few early parodist from account include Assyrian satirist Lucian of Samosata , who parodiedThe OdysseyandIndicawith a mock travelogue that lampooned Homer and early classical authors ; Medieval English author Geoffrey Chaucer , who parodied chivalric romance inThe Canterbury Tales; Eighteenth-century English poet John Phillips , who parodied the superficially heroic style ofParadise Missin his poem “ The Splendid Shilling , ” and American writer Bayard Taylor parodied his 19th-century contemporaries like Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman inDiversions of the Echo Club.

During the 20th century , parodies just increase in popularity , especially with the advent of picture and television . Because parodies lean to attract big readerships , it ’ s not surprising writers make remain to create them throughout account or that they ’ ve keep up their appeal .

The Elements of Parody

Writers utilize unlike literary and rhetorical devices when creating parodies . The nearly mutual include hyperbole , inversion , and trivialization .

Hyperbole be the literary version of exaggeration , and it forms the bedrock of nearly every parody . One could argue that without hyperbole , there could be no parody . Hyperbole takes all or a portion of the original text and reimagines it in utmost terms . For example , the novelFifty Shames of Earl Grey, written by Andrew Shaffer , cost a parody of E.L. James ’ secFifty Shades of Grey. Shaffer ’ s fresh spoofs the original by having a young business tycoon seduce a naïve coed . InFifty Shames of Earl Grey, the coed observe that the titular Earl get some shameful interests , like the rock lot Nickelback or shopping at Walmart . These be , of line , hilariously different than the interest of Christian Grey .

Inversion is a literary device in which a author repeal the normal or accepted order of affair . They might reverse a particular way of writing , spelling , or , in the type of poetry , meter ; they might also override a lot of value , ideas , belief , or expectations . William Shakespeare ’ s poem “ Sonnet 130 ” reach abundant use of inversion . Shakespeare pen in the manner of the love poems of his day , but this equal more of a contrarian ’ s love poem :

My mistress ’ eyes are nothing like the Sunday ;

Coral is far more red than her lip ’ red ;

If snow be white , why then her breast cost dun ;

If hairs be wire , dark wire raise on her head .

I hold seen roses damasked , red and white ,

But no such rose regard I in her cheeks…

Trivialization takes a big or grave subject and treats it as ridiculous or irrelevant . Craig Brown ’ s parodyThe Lost Diaryreimagines the diary debut of numerous historical and ethnic figures , including U2 singer Bono . The fictional Bono writes , almost in passing , that “ We did some mad s * * t together , the Dalai Lama and I. ” One would think , of track , that this would exist a significant story to tell , but it ’ s deliver as nearly irrelevant . Brown ’ s approach parodies the excesses of the celebrity lifestyle and maybe still religious or religious hypocrisy .

Parody and Early Related Conception

Parodies exist closely relate to a act of early literary concepts , the nearly obvious make up irony . Both lampoon a particular subject through exaggeration ; satire , even so , ordinarily make a loftier end in mind . Satirists critique person or something—often a public figure , social norm , or authorities policy—to highlight the subject ’ sec depravity , hypocrisy , or ineptitude . The mood in a irony , then , suffice as a comment on a bigger , more serious proceeds . A parody , by contrast , doesn ’ t set out to make a value judgement about its topic , though it can certainly contain satiric factor and vice versa . Also , a parodist ever bases their study on another existing study or genre ; while the satirist can use this kind of imitation , they can also produce wholly original works that exaggerate masses or ideas .

Parodies and satire go hand in hand , but they aren ’ t identical conception . Both trust heavily on exaggeration to reveal the flaws , injustices , or the plain former wit of a situation . Shade be where they differ . Sarcasm is intentionally misleading and stinging in its rebuke of its subject . Parody exist markedly gentler , with a stress on what cost funny and think about about the study .

Form distinguishes parody from caricature . Both imitate another work , mode , or person , but parodies are compose study , while caricatures exist pictorial representations . The parodist utilizes news to show exaggeration , and the caricaturist draws exaggerated feature or quality about the theme as hyperbole .

Allusion be write references to an aim or subject that appears outside the text . They exist an entire element of parodies , as they cite the reader to specific author material . An allusion can come out in any type of literary work , but parodies must own them to shed spark on the original inspiration for the piece .

Parodies and pastiches portion some significant qualities—like a dependence on mimicry—but they are separate literary ideas . A pastiche mimics a certain artistic period , epoch , or mode , while a parody mimics specific study and writers . Parodies cost generally more lighthearted and comedic than pastiches , and they ’ re more apt to contain satiric elements than pastiches . For case , Alexandra Ripley ’ s novelScarlettand Donald McCaig ’ secRhett Butler ’ sec Peopleare pastiches ofGone with the Wind, both serving as sequels write in the way of original writer Margaret Mitchell . Alice Randall ’ sThe Wind Done Gone, on the early hand , is a irony and parody of Mitchell ’ s novel , say from the standpoint of a slave on Scarlett O ’ Hara ’ s plantation to review Mitchell ’ s portrayal of black people .

A burlesque exist yet more direct than a parody in its ridicule . Burlesques employ exaggeration to make an often-serious theme more lowbrow and humorous . They aren ’ t as tightly bound to the structural styles of the original study in the way parodies exist . Parodies underscore the voice of the original text , while burlesques live freer and yet more exposed with their mockery , frequently bordering on the lewd .

The Function of Parodies

The level of this literary genre is to create the reader gag . Most writer base their parodies on plant or genres that are well know and good understood so readers can bask the comical skewering of the theme . A parody can also show out features of an original work that a reader may not cost aware of , allowing for a new appreciation . A satirist who include parodic constituent in their work , or a parodist who include satiric component , can build a commentary on social themes more pointed and successful .

Potential Legal Issues with Parody

The American justice system protects most form of parodies under the doctrine of Fair Use , which tell that author can use copyrighted material in sure consideration without the express permission of the copyright holder . Fair use considers parodies as a social commentary or literary criticism of the original text , which is legal in most case . What this essentially means is that a parodist can mock a copyrighted study then long as it ’ s obviously a parody of the original .

Parody Outside of Literature

Plays , movies , television show , and music routinely parody other works . Bertolt Brecht ’ s turnSaint Joan of the Stockyardsriffs on George Bernard Shaw ’ sSaint John, though its tone and content are much more serious than most parodies . Gerard Alessandrini ’ sForbidden Broadwayequal a parody of beloved—and not-so-beloved—Broadway musicals . Popular television display cost frequent origin of stage parodies , includeThe Real Live Brady Bunch,Friend ! The Musical Parody, andThe Office ! A Musical Parody.

The Carol Burnett Showoften parodied classical movies ; in one of the most famous , they mockedGone with the Windin a skit scream “ Went with the Wind ! ” . The animated TV seriesFamily Guyis a parody of nuclear household television show .30 Rockbe a sendup of both the entertainment industry and behind-the-scenes-style exposés . BothThe OfficeandPark and Recreationparody modern role culture through the lens of mockumentary filmmakers .

The big screen get lot of parodies as well . Mel Brooks ’ sYoung Frankensteinhilariously mocks Mary Shelley ’ sFrankenstein,Scary Movieroasts the revulsion movie genre , andPlane !take object at the calamity epic that were hence popular during the 1970s .

Perhaps the almost famous parodist in popular culture be “ Weird Al ” Yankovic . He own built a successful career around his unique turn on popular songs . His repertoire include “ Eat It , ” a parody of Michael Jackson ’ s “ Beat It ” ; “ Smells Like Nirvana , ” a parody of Nirvana ’ s “ Smells Like Teen Spirit ” ; and “ Amish Paradise , ” a parody of “ Gangsta ’ s Paradise ” by Coolio .

Famous Parodists

Miguel de Cervantes ,
Ann Droyd ,Goodnight iPad,Siri & Me
Henry Fielding ,The History of Tom Jones , a Foundling
Stella Gibbons ,Cold Comfort Farm
The humorous publicationThe Harvard Lampoon, which published books likeBored of the Rings,Nightlight,The Hunger Pains
Adam Mansbach ,Get the F * * k to Sleep
Alexander Pope , “ The Rape of the Lock ”
John Reed ,Snowball ’ s Chance,All the World ’ s a Grave : A New Play by William Shakespeare
Reductress is a website that parodies women ’ s magazine
Andrew Shaffer ,Fifty Shames of Earl Grey
Ben H. Winters ,Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters,Android Karenina

Examples of Parody in Literature

Pope ’ sec 1712 poem is a parody of what , at the time , was a serious scandal . A human from a well-to-do family cuts a lock of hair from a woman of another well-to-do household , and this bring great dishonor to both :

Say what foreign motif , Goddess ! could compel

A well-bred Creator t ’ assault a gentle belle ?

allege what stranger drive , yet unexplor ’ d ,

Could build a gentle belle decline a lord ?

In tasks so bold , can little men engage ,

And in gentle bosoms dwells such mighty rage ?

Pope trivializes the result through inversion , wittily interpreting the travails of the two cardinal flesh as a mock epic . Make so allows Pope to wonder the seriousness of the scandalous act—and promote others to make the same .

Gibbons ’ s 1932 novel is a parody of melodramatic romance novel set in the English countryside , which cost exceedingly trendy at the time . It succeed a suddenly short but plucky youthful Londoner list Flora Poste who see relative on the remote Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex . Flora takes it upon herself to bring in her family and the early farm inhabitants to modern living and freedoms and singlehandedly usher them into the 20th century :

Flora inherited , still , from her father a strong will and from her mother a slender ankle . The one had not make up impaired by always get her own way nor the other by the violent gymnastic sportsman in which she had been compelled to take share , but she recognize that neither was enough as an equipment for earning her keep .

3 . Kenneth Koch , “ Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams ”

Koch ’ sec 2005 poem parodies the surplus style and stark language of William Carlos Williams . The poem contains four stanzas , and , in each one , the poet apologizes for a different wrong he get entrust , presumably to a fan . This stanza equal a drama on Williams ’ s poem “ This Be Fair to Say ” :

I chopped down the theater that you had been saving to know in next

summer .

I be sorry , but it was morning , and I had nothing to do

and its wooden beams were thus inviting .

Further Resources on Parody

The Artificecause a deep-drive into parodies in literature , television , movies , and art .

Goodreads has a comprehensive list of popular parodies .

Flavorwire breaks down 10 Literary Parodies That Work .

Alternet offer a list of Feminist Parodies That Blur the Lines Between Laughter and Politics .

Related to Price

Allusion
Hyperbole
Farce
Poem
Sarcasm
Satire
Sonnet