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A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
or
ironic Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...
imitation Imitation (from Latin ''imitatio'', "a copying, imitation") is a behavior whereby an individual observes and replicates another's behavior. Imitation is also a form of learning that leads to the "development of traditions, and ultimately our cu ...
. Often its subject is an
original work Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...
or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, etc), but a parody can also be about a real-life person (e.g. a politician), event, or movement (e.g. the French Revolution or
1960s counterculture The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon and political movement that developed in the Western world during the mid-20th century. It began in the early 1960s, and continued through the early 1970s. It is oft ...
). Literary scholar Professor Simon Dentith defines parody as "any cultural practice which provides a relatively
polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...
al allusive imitation of another cultural production or practice". The literary theorist
Linda Hutcheon Linda Hutcheon, FRSC, OC (born August 24, 1947) is a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory and criticism, opera, and Canadian studies. She is a University Professor Emeritus in the Department of English and of the Centre f ...
said "parody ... is imitation, not always at the expense of the parodied text." Parody may be found in art or culture, including
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
,
music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
,
theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...
,
television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
and
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
,
animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
, and gaming. The writer and critic John Gross observes in his ''Oxford Book of Parodies'', that parody seems to flourish on territory somewhere between
pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...
("a composition in another artist's manner, without satirical intent") and
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
(which "fools around with the material of high literature and adapts it to low ends"). Meanwhile, the ''
Encyclopédie , better known as ''Encyclopédie'' (), was a general encyclopedia published in France between 1751 and 1772, with later supplements, revised editions, and translations. It had many writers, known as the Encyclopédistes. It was edited by Denis ...
'' of
Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...
distinguishes between the parody and the burlesque, "A good parody is a fine amusement, capable of amusing and instructing the most sensible and polished minds; the burlesque is a miserable buffoonery which can only please the populace." Historically, when a formula grows tired, as in the case of the moralistic melodramas in the 1910s, it retains value only as a parody, as demonstrated by the
Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...
shorts that mocked that genre.


Terminology

A parody may also be known as a spoof, a
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a
caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
.


Origins

According to
Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
(''
Poetics Poetics is the study or theory of poetry, specifically the study or theory of device, structure, form, type, and effect with regards to poetry, though usage of the term can also refer to literature broadly. Poetics is distinguished from hermeneu ...
'', ii. 5),
Hegemon of Thasos Hegemon of Thasos () was a Greek writer of the Old Comedy. Hardly anything is known of him, except that he flourished during the Peloponnesian War. According to Aristotle (''Poetics'', ii. 5) he was the inventor of a kind of parody; by slightly ...
was the inventor of a kind of parody; by slightly altering the wording in well-known poems he transformed the sublime into the ridiculous. In ancient
Greek literature Greek literature () dates back from the ancient Greek literature, beginning in 800 BC, to the modern Greek literature of today. Ancient Greek literature was written in an Ancient Greek dialect, literature ranges from the oldest surviving wri ...
, a ''parodia'' was a narrative poem imitating the style and prosody of
epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...
s "but treating light, satirical or
mock-heroic Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature. Typically, mock-heroic works either put a fool in the role of the hero or exaggerate the heroic ...
subjects". Indeed, the components of the Greek word are παρά ''para'' "beside, counter, against" and ᾠδή ''oide'' "song". Thus, the original Greek word παρῳδία ''parodia'' has sometimes been taken to mean "counter-song", an imitation that is set against the original. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'', for example, defines parody as imitation "turned as to produce a ridiculous effect". Because ''par-'' also has the non-antagonistic meaning of ''beside'', "there is nothing in ''parodia'' to necessitate the inclusion of a concept of ridicule." In Greek
Old Comedy Old Comedy is the first period of the ancient Greek comedy, according to the canonical division by the Alexandrian grammarians.Mastromarco (1994) p.12 The most important Old Comic playwright is Aristophanes – whose works, with their daring pol ...
even the gods could be made fun of. ''
The Frogs ''The Frogs'' (; , often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in Athens, in 405 BC and received first place. The pla ...
'' portrays the hero-turned-god
Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...
as a glutton and the God of Drama
Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ...
as cowardly and unintelligent. The traditional trip to the
Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...
story is parodied as Dionysus dresses as Heracles to go to the Underworld, in an attempt to bring back a poet to save Athens. The
Ancient Greeks Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...
created
satyr play The satyr play is a form of Attic theatre performance related to both comedy and tragedy. It preserves theatrical elements of dialogue, actors speaking verse, a chorus that dances and sings, masks and costumes. Its relationship to tragedy is st ...
s which parodied tragic plays, often with performers dressed like satyrs. Parody was used in early Greek philosophical texts to make philosophical points. Such texts are known as '' spoudaiogeloion,'' a famous example of which is the '' Silloi'' by Pyrrhonist philosopher
Timon of Phlius Timon of Phlius (; , , ; BCc. 235 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher from the Hellenistic period, who was the student of Pyrrho. Unlike Pyrrho, who wrote nothing, Timon wrote satirical philosophical poetry called ''Silloi'' () as well ...
which parodied philosophers living and dead. The style was a rhetorical mainstay of the Cynics and was the most common tone of the works made by Menippus and
Meleager of Gadara Meleager of Gadara ( ; fl. 1st century BC) was a poet and collector of epigrams. He wrote some satire, satirical prose, now lost, and some sensual poetry, of which 134 epigrams survive. Life Meleager was the son of Eucrates, born in the city of ...
. In the 2nd century CE,
Lucian of Samosata Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανὸς ὁ Σαμοσατεύς, 125 – after 180) was a Hellenized Syria (region), Syrian satire, satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer who is best known for his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, with whi ...
created a parody of travel texts such as '' Indica'' and ''
The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...
''. He described the authors of such accounts as liars who had never traveled, nor ever talked to any credible person who had. In his ironically named book '' True History'' Lucian delivers a story which exaggerates the hyperbole and improbable claims of those stories. Sometimes described as the first
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
, the characters travel to the Moon, engage in interplanetary war with the help of aliens they meet there, and then return to Earth to experience civilization inside a 200-mile-long creature generally interpreted as being a whale. This is a parody of
Ctesias Ctesias ( ; ; ), also known as Ctesias of Cnidus, was a Greek physician and historian from the town of Cnidus in Caria, then part of the Achaemenid Empire. Historical events Ctesias, who lived in the fifth century BC, was physician to the Acha ...
' claims that India has a one-legged race of humans with a single foot so huge it can be used as an umbrella,
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
's stories of one-eyed giants, and so on.


Related terms

Parody exists in the following related genres:
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
, travesty,
pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...
,
skit Skit may refer to: * * A short segment in a performance, such as: ** Sketch comedy ** Hip hop skit ** Puppet skit ** Promo (professional wrestling) * Skit note, parody of a banknote * "Skit", a song by Bad Gyal from '' La joia'', 2024 See als ...
,
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
.


Satire

Satires and parodies are both derivative works that exaggerate their source material(s) in humorous ways. However, a satire is meant to make fun of the real world, whereas a parody is a derivative of a specific work ("specific parody") or a general genre ("general parody" or "spoof"). Furthermore, satires are provocative and critical as they point to a specific vice associated with an individual or a group of people to mock them into correction or as a form of punishment. In contrast, parodies are more focused on producing playful
humor Humour ( Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids i ...
and do not always attack or criticize its targeted work and/or genre. Of course, it is possible for a parody to maintain satiric elements without crossing into satire itself, as long as its "light verse with modest aspirations" ultimately dominates the work.


Travesty

A travesty imitates and transforms a work, but focuses more on the satirization of it. Because satire is meant to attack someone or something, the harmless playfulness of parody is lost.


Pastiche

A pastiche imitates a work as a parody does, but unlike a parody, pastiche is neither transformative of the original work, nor is it humorous. Literary critic
Fredric Jameson Fredric Ruff Jameson (April 14, 1934 – September 22, 2024) was an American literary critic, philosopher and Marxist political theorist. He was best known for his analysis of contemporary cultural trends, particularly his analysis of postmode ...
has referred to the pastiche as a "blank parody", or "parody that has lost its sense of humor".


Skit

Skits imitate works "in a satirical regime". But unlike travesties, skits do not transform the source material.


Burlesque

The burlesque primarily targets heroic poems and theater to degrade popular heroes and gods, as well as mock the common tropes within the genre. Simon Dentith has described this type of parody as "parodic anti-heroic drama".


Spoof

A parody imitates and mocks a specific, recognizable work (e.g. a book, movie, etc.) or the characteristic style of a particular author. A spoof mocks an entire genre by exaggerating its conventions and cliches for humorous effect.


Music

In
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
, as a technical term, ''parody'' refers to a reworking of one kind of composition into another (for example, a
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...
into a keyboard work as Girolamo Cavazzoni, Antonio de Cabezón, and Alonso Mudarra all did to
Josquin des Prez Josquin Lebloitte dit des Prez ( – 27 August 1521) was a composer of High Renaissance music, who is variously described as French or Franco-Flemish. Considered one of the greatest composers of the Renaissance, he was a central figure of the ...
motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the preeminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to the Eng ...
s).Tilmouth, Michael and Richard Sherr
"Parody (i)"
Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, accessed 19 February 2012
More commonly, a parody mass (''missa parodia'') or an
oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...
used extensive quotation from other vocal works such as motets or
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
s; Victoria,
Palestrina Palestrina (ancient ''Praeneste''; , ''Prainestos'') is a modern Italian city and ''comune'' (municipality) with a population of about 22,000, in Lazio, about east of Rome. It is connected to the latter by the Via Prenestina. It is built upon ...
, Lassus, and other composers of the 16th century used this technique. The term is also sometimes applied to procedures common in the Baroque period, such as when
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...
reworks music from
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
s in his ''
Christmas Oratorio The ''Christmas Oratorio'' (German: ''Weihnachtsoratorium''), , is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It is in six parts, each part a cantata intended for performance in a churc ...
''. The musicological definition of the term ''parody'' has now generally been supplanted by a more general meaning of the word. In its more contemporary usage, musical parody usually has humorous, even satirical intent, in which familiar musical ideas or lyrics are lifted into a different, often incongruous, context.Burkholder, J. Peter
"Borrowing"
Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, accessed 19 February. 2012
Musical parodies may imitate or refer to the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. For example, "The Ritz Roll and Rock", a song and dance number performed by
Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...
in the movie ''
Silk Stockings ''Silk Stockings'' is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The musical is loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel story ''Ninotchka'' and the 1939 film adaptation it ...
'', parodies the
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
genre. Conversely, while the best-known work of
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...
is based on particular popular songs, it also often utilises wildly incongruous elements of
pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...
for comedic effect.


English term

The first usage of the word ''parody'' in English cited in the ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' is in
Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...
, in ''Every Man in His Humour'' in 1598: "A Parodie, a parodie! to make it absurder than it was." The next citation comes from
John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...
in 1693, who also appended an explanation, suggesting that the word was in common use, meaning to make fun of or re-create what you are doing.


Modernist and post-modernist parody

Since the 20th century, parody has been heightened as the central and most representative artistic device, the catalysing agent of artistic creation and innovation.Sheinberg (2000) pp.141, 150Stavans (1997
p.37
/ref> This most prominently happened in the second half of the century with
postmodernism Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, Culture, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting ...
, but earlier
modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
and
Russian formalism Russian formalism was a school of literary theory in Russia from the 1910s to the 1930s. It includes the work of a number of highly influential Russian and Soviet scholars, such as Viktor Shklovsky, Yuri Tynianov, Vladimir Propp, Boris Eikhenbaum ...
had anticipated this perspective. For the Russian formalists, parody was a way of liberation from the background text that enables to produce new and autonomous artistic forms.Hutcheon (1985) pp.28, 35 Historian Christopher Rea writes that "In the 1910s and 1920s, writers in China's entertainment market parodied anything and everything.... They parodied speeches, advertisements, confessions, petitions, orders, handbills, notices, policies, regulations, resolutions, discourses, explications, sutras, memorials to the throne, and conference minutes. We have an exchange of letters between the Queue and the Beard and Eyebrows. We have a eulogy for a chamber pot. We have 'Research on Why Men Have Beards and Women Don't,' 'A Telegram from the Thunder God to His Mother Resigning His Post,' and 'A Public Notice from the King of Whoring Prohibiting Playboys from Skipping Debts.'"
Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...
's (1939) short story " Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote", is often regarded as predicting postmodernism and conceiving the ideal of the ultimate parody.Stavans (1997
p.31
/ref> In the broader sense of Greek ''parodia'', parody can occur when whole elements of one work are lifted out of their context and reused, not necessarily to be ridiculed.Elices (2004) p.90 quotation: Traditional definitions of parody usually only discuss parody in the stricter sense of something intended to ridicule the text it parodies. There is also a broader, extended sense of parody that may not include ridicule, and may be based on many other uses and intentions.Hutcheon (1985) p.50 The broader sense of parody, parody done with intent other than ridicule, has become prevalent in the modern parody of the 20th century. In the extended sense, the modern parody does not target the parodied text, but instead uses it as a weapon to target something else.Hutcheon (1985) p.52 The reason for the prevalence of the extended, recontextualizing type of parody in the 20th century is that artists have sought to connect with the past while registering differences brought by
modernity Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular Society, socio-Culture, cultural Norm (social), norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the ...
. Major modernist examples of this recontextualizing parody include
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...
's '' Ulysses'', which incorporates elements of
Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...
's ''
Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...
'' in a 20th-century Irish context, and
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...
's ''
The Waste Land ''The Waste Land'' is a poem by T. S. Eliot, widely regarded as one of the most important English-language poems of the 20th century and a central work of modernist poetry. Published in 1922, the 434-line poem first appeared in the United ...
'', which incorporates and recontextualizes elements of a vast range of prior texts, including
Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
's '' The Inferno''. The work of
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
is another prominent example of the modern "recontextualizing" parody. According to French literary theorist
Gérard Genette Gérard Genette (; 7 June 1930 – 11 May 2018) was a French literary theorist, associated in particular with the structuralist movement and with figures such as Roland Barthes and Claude Lévi-Strauss, from whom he adapted the concept of ''b ...
, the most rigorous and elegant form of parody is also the most economical, that is a ''minimal parody'', the one that literally reprises a known text and gives it a new meaning.Sangsue (2006
p.72
quotation:
Blank parody, in which an artist takes the skeletal form of an art work and places it in a new context without ridiculing it, is common.
Pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...
is a closely related
genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
, and parody can also occur when characters or settings belonging to one work are used in a humorous or ironic way in another, such as the transformation of minor characters
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Hamlet''. They are childhood friends of Hamlet, summoned by King Claudius to distract the prince from his apparent madness and if possible to ascertain the cause of ...
from
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
's drama
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
into the principal characters in a comedic perspective on the same events in the play (and film) '' Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead''. Similarly, Mishu Hilmy's ''Trapped in the Netflix'' uses parody to deconstruct contemporary
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
shows like
Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...
providing commentary through popular characters. Don Draper mansplaining about mansplaining, Luke Danes monologizing about a lack of independence while embracing
codependency In psychology, codependency is a theory that attempts to explain imbalanced relationships where one person enables another person's self-destructive behavior, such as addiction, poor mental health, immaturity, irresponsibility, or under-ach ...
. In
Flann O'Brien Brian O'Nolan (; 5 October 19111 April 1966), his pen name being Flann O'Brien, was an Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland, Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth- ...
's novel ''
At Swim-Two-Birds ''At Swim-Two-Birds'' is a 1939 novel by Irish writer Flann O'Brien, Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It is widely considered to be O'Brien's masterpiece, and one of the most sophisticated examples of metafiction. The ...
'', for example, mad King Sweeney, Finn MacCool, a pookah, and an assortment of
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...
s all assemble in an inn in Dublin: the mixture of mythic characters, characters from
genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
fiction, and a quotidian setting combine for a humor that is not directed at any of the characters or their authors. This combination of established and identifiable characters in a new setting is not the same as the post-modernist trope of using historical characters in fiction out of context to provide a metaphoric element.


Reputation

Sometimes the reputation of a parody outlasts the reputation of what is being parodied. For example, ''Don Quixote'', which mocks the traditional knight errant tales, is much better known than the novel that inspired it, ''Amadis de Gaula'' (although Amadis is mentioned in the book). Another case is the novel ''Shamela'' by Henry Fielding (1742), which was a parody of the gloomy epistolary novel ''Pamela (novel), Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded'' (1740) by Samuel Richardson. Many of Lewis Carroll's parodies of Victorian didactic verse for children, such as "You Are Old, Father William", are much better known than the (largely forgotten) originals. Stella Gibbons's comic novel ''Cold Comfort Farm'' has eclipsed the pastoral novels of Mary Webb which largely inspired it. In more recent times, the television sitcom '''Allo 'Allo!'' is perhaps better known than the drama ''Secret Army (TV series), Secret Army'' which it parodies. Some artists carve out careers by making parodies. One of the best-known examples is that of
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...
. His career of parodying other musical acts and their songs has outlasted many of the artists or bands he has parodied. Yankovic is not required under law to get permission to parody; as a personal rule, however, he does seek permission to parody a person's song before recording it. Several artists, such as rapper Chamillionaire and Seattle-based grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana stated that Yankovic's parodies of their respective songs were excellent, and many artists have considered being parodied by him to be a badge of honor. In the US legal system the point that in most cases a parody of a work constitutes fair use was upheld in the case of Rick Dees, who decided to use 29 seconds of the music from the song ''When Sonny Gets Blue'' to parody Johnny Mathis' singing style even after being refused permission. An appeals court upheld the trial court's decision that this type of parody represents fair use. ''Fisher v. Dees'' Court citation, 794 F.2d 432 (9th Cir. 1986)


Film parodies

Some Genre, genre theorists, following Bakhtin, see parody as a natural development in the life cycle of any
genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
; this idea has proven especially fruitful for genre film theorists. Such theorists note that Western movies, for example, after the classic stage defined the conventions of the genre, underwent a parody stage, in which those same conventions were ridiculed and critiqued. Because audiences had seen these classic Westerns, they had expectations for any new Westerns, and when these expectations were inverted, the audience laughed. An early parody film was the 1922 movie ''Mud and Sand'', a Stan Laurel film that made fun of Rudolph Valentino's film ''Blood and Sand (1922 film), Blood and Sand''. Laurel specialized in parodies in the mid-1920s, writing and acting in a number of them. Some were send-ups of popular films, such as —parodied in the comic ''Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde'' (1926). Others were spoofs of Broadway plays, such as ''No, No, Nanette'' (1925), parodied as ''Yes, Yes, Nanette'' (1925). In 1940 Charlie Chaplin created a satirical comedy about Adolf Hitler with the film ''The Great Dictator'', following the first-ever Hollywood parody of the Nazis, the Three Stooges' short subject ''You Nazty Spy!''. About 20 years later Mel Brooks started his career with a Hitler parody as well. After his 1967 film ''The Producers (1967 film), The Producers'' won both an Academy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay, Brooks became one of the most famous film parodists and created spoofs in multiple film genres. ''Blazing Saddles'' (1974) is a parody of western films, ''History of the World, Part I'' (1981) is a historical parody, ''Robin Hood Men in Tights'' (1993) is Brooks' take on the classic Robin Hood tale, and his spoofs in the horror, sci-fi and adventure genres include ''Young Frankenstein'' (1974), and ''Spaceballs'' (1987, a ''Star Wars'' spoof). The British comedy group Monty Python is also famous for its parodies, for example, the King Arthur spoof ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' (1974), and the religious satire ''Life of Brian'' (1979). In the 1980s the team of David Zucker (filmmaker), David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (film director), Jerry Zucker parodied well-established genres such as disaster, war and police movies with the ''Airplane!'', ''Hot Shots!'' and ''The Naked Gun, Naked Gun'' series respectively. There is a 1989 film parody from Spain of the TV series ''The A-Team'' called ' directed by José Truchado. More recently, parodies have taken on whole film genres at once. One of the first was ''Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood'' and the ''Scary Movie (series), Scary Movie'' franchise. Other recent genre parodies include. ''Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday The 13th'', ''Not Another Teen Movie'', ''Date Movie'', ''Epic Movie'', ''Meet the Spartans'', ''Superhero Movie'', ''Disaster Movie'', ''Vampires Suck'', and ''The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It'', all of which have been critically panned.


Copyright

Many parody films have as their target out-of-copyright or non-copyrighted subjects (such as ''Frankenstein'' or Robin Hood) whilst others settle for imitation which does not infringe copyright, but is clearly aimed at a popular (and usually lucrative) subject. The spy film craze of the 1960s, fuelled by the popularity of James Bond is such an example. In this genre a rare, and possibly unique, example of a parody film taking aim at a non-comedic subject over which it actually holds copyright is the 1967 James Bond spoof ''Casino Royale (1967 film), Casino Royale''. In this case, producer Charles K. Feldman initially intended to make a serious film, but decided that it would not be able to compete with the established series of Bond films. Hence, he decided to parody the series.


Poetic parodies

Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking, Kenneth Baker considered poetic parody to take five main forms. # The first was to use parody to attack the author parodied, as in J K Stephen's mimicry of Wordsworth, "Two voices are there: one is of the deep....And one is of an old half-witted sheep." # The second was to pastiche the author's style, as with Henry Reed (poet), Henry Reed's parody of
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...
, ''Chard Whitlow'': "As we get older we do not get any younger...." # The third type reversed (and so undercut) the sentiments of the poem parodied, as with Monty Python's ''All Things Dull and Ugly''. # A fourth approach was to use the target poem as a matrix for inserting unrelated (generally humorous) material – "To have it out or not? That is the question....Thus dentists do make cowards of us all." # Finally, parody may be used to attack contemporary/topical targets by utilizing the format of a well-known piece of verse: "O Salman Rushdie, Rushdie, Rushdie, it's a vile world" (Cat Stevens). A further, more constructive form of poetic parody is one that links the contemporary poet with past forms and past masters through affectionate parodying – thus sharing poetic codes while avoiding some of the anxiety of influence. More aggressive in tone are playground poetry parodies, often attacking authority, values and culture itself in a carnivalesque rebellion: "Twinkle, Twinkle little star,/ Who the hell do you think you are?"


Self-parody

A subset of parody is ''self-parody'' in which artists parody their own work (as in Ricky Gervais's ''Extras (TV series), Extras'').


Copyright issues and other legal issues

Although a parody can be considered a derivative work of a pre-existing, copyrighted work, some countries have ruled that parodies can fall under Limitations and exceptions to copycopyright limitations such as fair dealing, or otherwise have fair dealing laws that include parody in their scope.


United States

Parodies are protected under the fair use doctrine of United States copyright law, but the defense is more successful if the usage of an existing copyrighted work is transformative in nature, such as being a critique or commentary upon it. In ''Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.'', the Supreme Court of the United States, Supreme Court ruled that a rap parody of "Oh, Pretty Woman" by 2 Live Crew was fair use, as the parody was a distinctive, transformative work designed to ridicule the original song, and that "even if 2 Live Crew's copying of the original's first line of lyrics and characteristic opening bass riff may be said to go to the original's 'heart,' that heart is what most readily conjures up the song for parody, and it is the heart at which parody takes aim." In 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in ''Suntrust v. Houghton Mifflin'', upheld the right of Alice Randall to publish a parody of ''Gone with the Wind (novel), Gone with the Wind'' called ''The Wind Done Gone'', which told the same story from the point of view of Scarlett O'Hara's slaves, who were glad to be rid of her. In 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied a fair use defense in the ''Dr. Seuss Enters., L.P. v. Penguin Books USA, Inc., Dr. Seuss Enterprises v. Penguin Books'' case. Citing the ''Campbell v. Acuff-Rose'' decision, they found that a
satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...
of the O. J. Simpson murder case, O.J. Simpson murder trial and parody of ''The Cat in the Hat'' had infringed upon the children's book because it did not provide a commentary function upon that work.


Canada

Under Canadian law, although there is protection for fair dealing#Canada, Fair Dealing, there is no explicit protection for parody and satire. In ''Canwest v. Horizon'', the publisher of the Vancouver Sun launched a lawsuit against a group which had published a pro-State of Palestine, Palestinian parody of the paper. Alan Donaldson, the judge in the case, court ruling, ruled that parody is not a legal defence, defence to a Canadian copyright law, copyright claim. As of the implementation of the Copyright Modernization Act 2012, "Fair dealing for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire does not infringe copyright."


United Kingdom

In 2006 the ''Gowers Review of Intellectual Property'' recommended that the UK should "create an exception to copyright for the purpose of caricature, parody or pastiche by 2008". Following the first stage of a two-part public consultation, the Intellectual Property Office reported that the information received "was not sufficient to persuade us that the advantages of a new parody exception were sufficient to override the disadvantages to the creators and owners of the underlying work. There is therefore no proposal to change the current approach to parody, caricature and pastiche in the UK."UK Intellectual Property Office. (2009) Taking Forward the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property: Second Stage Consultation on Copyright Exceptions. [Online]. Available a
ipo.gov.uk
(Accessed: 22 February 2011).
However, following the Hargreaves Review in May 2011 (which made similar proposals to the Gowers Review) the Government broadly accepted these proposals. The current law (effective from 1 October 2014), namely Section 30A of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, now provides an exception to infringement where there is fair dealing of the original work for the purpose of parody (or alternatively for the purpose of caricature or pastiche). The legislation does not define what is meant by "parody", but the UK IPO – the Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom) – suggests that a "parody" is something that imitates a work for humorous or satirical effect. See also Fair dealing in United Kingdom law.


Jail

Some countries do not like parodies and the parodies can be considered insulting. The person who makes the parody can be fined or even jailed. For instance in the UAE and North Korea, this is not allowed.


Internet culture

Parody is a prominent genre in online culture, thanks in part to the ease with which digital texts may be altered, appropriated, and shared. Japanese kuso and Chinese e'gao are emblematic of the importance of parody in online cultures in Asia. Video mash-ups and other parodic Meme, memes, such as humorously altered Chinese characters, have been particularly popular as a tool for political protest in the People's Republic of China, the government of which maintains an extensive censorship apparatus. Chinese internet slang makes extensive use of puns and parodies on how Chinese characters are pronounced or written, as illustrated in th
Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon


Computer-generated parodies


Social and political uses

Parody is often used to make a social or political statement. Examples include Jonathan Swift, Swift's "A Modest Proposal", which satirized English neglect of Ireland by parodying emotionally disengaged political tracts; and, recently, ''The Daily Show, The Larry Sanders Show'' and ''The Colbert Report'', which parody a news broadcast and a talk show to satirize political and social trends and events. On the other hand, the writer and frequent parodist Vladimir Nabokov made a distinction: "Satire is a lesson, parody is a game." Some events, such as a national tragedy, can be difficult to handle. Chet Clem, Editorial Manager of the news parody publication ''The Onion'', told ''Wikinews'' in an interview the questions that are raised when addressing difficult topics: Parody is by no means necessarily satirical, and may sometimes be done with respect and appreciation of the subject involved, without being a heedless sarcastic attack. Parody has also been used to facilitate dialogue between cultures or subcultures. Sociolinguist Mary Louise Pratt identifies parody as one of the "arts of the contact zone", through which marginalized or oppressed groups "selectively appropriate", or imitate and take over, aspects of more empowered cultures.Pratt (1991) Shakespeare often uses a series of parodies to convey his meaning. In the social context of his era, an example can be seen in ''King Lear'' where the Jester, fool is introduced with his Comb (anatomy)#Other, coxcomb to be a parody of the king.


Examples


Historic examples


Internet examples

*Punt nua, a parody currency and internet meme (2011) * "After Ever After" a capella series by YouTube personality Jon Cozart, parody of various Disney songs


Modern television examples

* Saturday Night Live parodies of Sarah Palin, ''Saturday Night Live'' parodies of Sarah Palin * Saturday Night Live parodies of Donald Trump, ''Saturday Night Live'' parodies of Donald Trump * Square One TV mathnet, parodies of ''Dragnet (franchise), Dragnet'' * ''Southpaw Regional Wrestling,'' WWE's parody of 80s territory-style professional wrestling * ''On Cinema'' and Spin-off (media), spin-off ''Decker (TV series), Decker'' parody film review shows and political cinema, political action film, action thriller films, thrillers, respectively. * "Handyman Corner" and "Handyman Tip" segments on ''The Red Green Show'' by Steve Smith (comedian), Steve Smith and Rick Green (comedian), Rick Green, parodying home improvement and do-it-yourself shows * The "Get the Belt" sketch on ''A Black Lady Sketch Show'' parodies the genre of dance movies like ''Step Up (franchise), Step Up'' and ''Save the Last Dance''.


Anime and manga

* ''Attack on Titan: Junior High'' * ''KonoSuba'' * ''One Punch Man'' * ''Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt''


See also

* Abridgement * Anti-Barney Humor * Détournement * Drawn Together * Internet meme * Intertextuality * Joke * Literary technique * Metaparody * Parody advertisement * Parody in popular music * Parody film * Parody music * Parody religion * Parody science * :wikt:persiflage, Persiflage * P. D. Q. Bach *Satire * Subvertising * Tom Lehrer *
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...


Notes


References

* *Elices Agudo, Juan Francisco (2004
''Historical and theoretical approaches to English satire''
* * . From Ways of Reading, 5th edition, ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petroksky (New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999 *Sangsue, Daniel (2006
''La parodia''
*Sheinberg, Esti (2000
''Irony, Satire, Parody and the Grotesque in the Music of Shostakovich''
*Stavans, Ilan and Jesse H. Lytle, Jennifer A. Mattson (1997
''Antiheroes: Mexico and its detective novel''
*Ore, Johnathan (2014


Further reading

* * * * * * * * * *


External links

{{Authority control Parodies, Satire