The parody is the mocking or joking imitation and the distorting overwriting of an artistic work. The parody can refer to works, styles and genres. It can be found in all the arts (film, music, literature, etc.), and it can also be found in all literary genres (epic, drama, lyric). The parody mimics a work either exaggerated, mocking or using the form of the work and filling it with its own, inappropriate content. Thus the melody of a song could be used, but the text would be changed. So it is important for the understanding that the original is known. Satire, travesty and persiflage are related.
Term
The term can be derived from the Greek (παρῳδία ~ parōdía) and translate with the opposite song, counter-song, or disguised sung song. The translation refers to the original meaning of the term, since at first the distorted re-singing of a song was meant. From this distorted imitation all the other varieties of the parody can be deduced, which are always based on a kind of distortion which overcomes the characteristic properties of an original.
But even if the original is distorted, the parody must not be mocking or make fun. Since it is only understood by the recipient, if he knows the known original, the parody emphasizes the importance of the original. It is therefore also a kind of tribute. This is clear in the Cento, a special form of parody, which is composed of quotations from other poets. If these were not significant, the Cento would be spoiled because the reader could not know the references.
Features of parody
Brief overview: The essential characteristics of the text
The parody means the joking, also mocking, imitating a well-known work of art. The parodist can be found in all arts, genres as well as genres and can also be considered a special form of tribute. Either the parody distorts the original work and overcomes it enormously or uses its form to convey its own content.
As a rule, the parodistic work has a comic effect. This joke comes from the obvious differences between the original and the parody. Therefore, the original must be known to the recipient. However, there must not be an original, since entire genres, styles, or currents can also be parodyed (cf.
The parody either pursues the aim of uncovering the weaknesses of an original work, which is usually used for caricature imitation; to make the writer of the parodic work ridiculous, which is then a form of polemic, or she is simply a form of comedy, mimicking an original to distort the original (recipient, viewer, listener) to chat.
The most widely known works serve as a model, and even before world literacy no stop is made. The better the parody is, the more effectively the parody can unfold its effect, since consequently also several the allusions can be noticed and thus their wit can unfold.
Regarding literature and the history of literature, it is noticeable that the representatives or supporters of an existing current often parody the representatives of a new current in order to defend themselves against new tendencies of the literary landscape.
First parodies can already be proven in antiquity and here in the comic epic imitate. For example, the work Margites, which is not preserved in large parts, can be regarded as one of the first parodies ever. The work was created in the 6th century BC, Chr and can be understood as a parody to the Greek poet Homer.
Parody examples
In literature, film, and music, there are numerous examples that imitate, over-spike, and parody the manner of any original. In the following, examples from the various fields will be presented to demonstrate the characteristics of the genus.
Parodies in music
In music the term had a different meaning. Even in baroque and baroque music, the parody or parody was a means of adapting a composition to other sound concepts or to make it usable for other purposes. Here are examples which only adapt the text of a work or perform musical-compositional interventions.
Since the nineteenth century, however, the term has also existed in music as the exaggerated imitation of another work, which is mostly characterized by ironic as well as sarcastic elements. Especially since the 20th century numerous pop songs have been parodied by different artists, mainly platforms like the Videoportal Youtube