Parody

From ArticleWorld


Parody, as used today, is a satirical art form which imitates another work of art with the purpose to ridicule it. It is commonly known as a spoof. It has some affectionate fun. Parody is used widely encompassing all art forms which include cinema, literature and music.

The word “parody” has its roots in the ancient Greek language. “par” means “subsidiary” or “beside” and “ody” implies a song as in ode. Thus, a parody in original Greek meant “mock poem”. In the neo-classical literature of France, parody usually implied a poem that imitated another existing work purely to derive humour. In the contemporary English language, parody is used to describe a piece of mockery, especially in a narrative.

Historical examples

  • Beware of the Cat by Thomas Nashe
  • Sir Thopas in Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer
  • Dragon of Wantley, an anonymous 17th century ballad
  • A Tale of a Tub by Jonathan Swift
  • Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
  • Mozart's A Musical Joke (Ein musikalischer Spaß), K.522 (1787) - parody of incompetent contemporaries of Mozart, as assumed by some theorists
  • Ways and Means, or The aged, aged man, by Lewis Carrol. Much of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is parody onVictorian schooling.
  • Sartor Resartus by Thomas Carlysle
  • Namby Pamby by Henry Carey
  • ”MacFlecknoe”, by John Dryden

Contemporary examples

  • Austin Powers series - parodies of spy films, especially of the James Bond series, and a wide range of popular culture.
  • Bored of the Rings - a parody of The Lord of the Rings
  • Barry Trotter - parodies of Harry Potter books.
  • The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – a parody of all of the plays of William Shakespeare
  • Army Of Darkness – Part III of the Evil Dead trilogy, which is a parody of several horror films, including the Evil Dead itself.
  • Brokeback Mountain parodies
  • Encyclopaedia Dramatica - laughing at other people's expense, including LJ Drama issues.
  • MAD Magazine - parody of practically everything in American popular culture
  • Radio Active - BBC parody of poorly funded rural local commercial radio
  • The Misprint - similar to The Onion, parody of Indian politics
  • Spaceballs - parody of space opera directed by Mel Brooks, such as Star Wars and Star Trek
  • Uncyclopedia - An online parody of Wikipedia