Candy Berry

Parody and Satire

Parody:  a) a literary work that imitates the characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule.  b) the genre of literature comprising such works.

Satire: a) a literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.  b) Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

Example:  "A Night in Elsinore," a parody on Hamlet.

Representational genre:  Drama + Dialogue

Narrative genre: parodies and satire

Subject genre:  movies, songs, plays, books

Identifiable Highlights: The scene from  "A Night in Elsinore" is a parody on the opening scene of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.  The aspects of parody are quite evident with the actions of the ghost.  The interaction between the ghost and the other characters is quite humorous.

Additional Examples:  Richard Nathan’s "Scots on the Rocks," a parody on Macbeth and H.K. Fauskanger’s, Titragic, a parody on Titanic. Some examples of satire would be Saturday Night Live skits, and possibly night show hosts such as Jay Leno or David Letterman.
                                             
Resources:  American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition.
                     http://www.shakespeare-parodies.com/

                     http://www.angelfire.com/sys/popup_source.shtml

Question:  1)  Do you think parodies are disrespectful to the true authors of these works of literature?  Especially regarding such great authors as Shakespeare?
         
                  2) From my example, identify some of the objects of satire or parody and discuss how it has changed from the original?  How do we identify parody from the original?

The discussion for my presentation on parody and satire took a few different angles.  I feel that the discussion went rather well, with many different students commenting on parody and satire.  I learned from the discussion of other classmates as well as from my research.  The discussion went as follows;

Reni:  We have to have seen or read the original to know it is a parody.

Janet:  You're not going to parody something that no one has heard of.  A parody makes the original work seem important.

Kelly:  It shows a way you can twist something; it shows the other side to a story.

Dr. White:  Hamlet is always being rewritten.  It inspires people to play with it.

Candy:  Satire would be more disrespectful, like Letterman.

Aimee:  Sometimes they go too far.

Dr. White:  It depends on how close you are tied to the issue.  Did you get who the ghost is acting like?  Harpo and Groucho Marx.  What about on page three? Satire comes from the Greek word meaning mixed dish.  Satire often has quite a bit of low comedy mixed in.

Candy:  In parody there is comic effect or ridicule. Low comedy fits in.

Janet:  What is the difference between parody and satire?

Dr. White:  Sometimes satire doesn't play off actual works, but ideals.

Aimee:  Parody plays off specific examples.

Kelly:  Parody has satiric elements.

Dr. White:  Under subject genre, what other examples can we come up with?

Kelly:  I think it's changed.  Satire was written to "get at" someone.  Now it's more comedic.  I guess Primary Colors could fit.

Dr. White:  It's a real mixed dish.