English Literature / Unit 2 ENL 0116 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Parody, Burlesque and Mock-Heroic
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The idea
Parody imitates a particular work or style in order to mock or comment on it. Burlesque provokes laughter by treating serious subjects ludicrously or trivial ones grandly. Mock-heroic applies epic grandeur to a trivial subject or a fool, and it flourished in the Restoration and Augustan periods in Britain.
In practice
Imitation that mocks, two ways round.
Where people slip
Mock-heroic shrinks its subject by inflating it.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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