{"id":298,"date":"2023-10-08T20:24:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T03:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seanmiller.us\/blog\/?p=298"},"modified":"2024-01-07T03:23:34","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T11:23:34","slug":"literary-parodies-five-notable-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seanmiller.us\/blog\/literary-parodies-five-notable-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"Literary Parodies: Five Notable Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

1. “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Target:<\/strong> Travel narratives of the 18th century
Imitation:<\/strong> Swift’s work mimics the style of popular travel narratives, describing fantastical lands and cultures.
Implicit Criticism:<\/strong> The book serves as a satire on human nature, government, and the “travelling scientists” of the time. It questions the validity and motives behind colonial exploration and scientific inquiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Target:<\/strong> Chivalric romances
Imitation:<\/strong> The novel follows a delusional knight, imitating the language and structure of medieval chivalric tales.
Implicit Criticism:<\/strong> Cervantes critiques the unrealistic and impractical ideals presented in chivalric romances, highlighting the gap between literary fantasy and real-world practicality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Seth Grahame-Smith<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Target:<\/strong> “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
Imitation:<\/strong> The parody retains much of Austen’s original text but adds a zombie apocalypse setting.
Implicit Criticism:<\/strong> The book comments on the rigidity and social norms of Regency England, suggesting that they are as mindless and destructive as a horde of zombies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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4. “The Wind Done Gone” by Alice Randall<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Target:<\/strong> “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell
Imitation:<\/strong> The novel retells the story from the perspective of a slave, using a similar setting and characters.
Implicit Criticism:<\/strong> Randall’s work criticizes the romanticized portrayal of the American South and slavery in “Gone with the Wind,” offering a counter-narrative that highlights the experiences of the enslaved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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5. “Bored of the Rings” by Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Target:<\/strong> “The Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien
Imitation:<\/strong> This parody mimics the epic quest narrative, complete with a similar map and characters with pun-based names.
Implicit Criticism:<\/strong> The book pokes fun at the seriousness and complexity of Tolkien’s world, suggesting that the original might take itself too seriously and be overly complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Article author<\/p>

Dr. Sean<\/p>

Sean Miller has a PhD in English from the University of London. When he’s not writing parodies and middle-grade comedy novels, he’s either building this comprehensive knowledge base about parody or cracking wise with his two daughters.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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