e Imitation & Parody

Imitation: In art and in literature, imitation is best described as “a literary work which deliberately echoe[s] an older work but adapt[s] it to subject matter in the writer`s own age” (Abrams 132). Imitations are made of both a specific literary work (such as a novel or poem), a particular writer’s style, or an entire genre as a whole. A literary imitation is very much like the type of imitation you find in everyday life. People spend quite a bit of time forging counterfeit watches, jewellery, money, and pretty much anything else that can be sold, because they want you to believe it’s as good as the original. “No seriously, it’s spelled ‘Roldex’. The ‘d’ is silent. How much? For you, $10.”

Parody: Parody occurs when a writer/artist applies the distinctive manner and style of an original work to a comically inappropriate subject matter. Parody uses imitation to mimic the form of the original work, but often twists or alters the initial meaning of a piece in a humorous manner. Parody can be done to mock the original work, or to celebrate it with good-natured humour. The Simpsons is a good example of modern parody, as the show’s writers have often relied on parodies of other art forms as the inspiration for entire episodes. The Tree House of Horrors episodes are often composed of a number of mini parodies of other works. The ‘Shinning’ The Shining

Why even bother with Imitation and Parody?: Because both are excellent vehicles for truly understanding literature and art. In order to create a quality parody or imitation, you must know your subject (the original piece of art) inside and out. In order to master parody and imitation, you must first master language and literature in general.

The Last Supper Leonardo da Vinci 1498

The Creation of Adam By Michelangelo – 1511, Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

The Creation of Adam is a fresco painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo in The painting depicts the creation of man from the Book of Genesis, in which God (the father) breathes life into Adam (the first man). The Creation of Adam has since become one of the most famous images in the Western World.

There are several hypotheses about the meaning of The Creation of Adam, many of which rely on Michelangelo's well-known expertise in anatomy. A physician recently noted (1990) that the background figures and shapes portrayed behind the figure of God appear to be an anatomically-accurate picture of the human brain. Alternatively, it has been observed that the red cloth around God has the shape of a human uterus (one historian has calls it a "uterine mantle"), and that the scarf hanging out, coloured green, could be a cut umbilical cord.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster Rise of the Pastafarians