Postmoden Theories: Pastiche, Homage and Parody

1/31/2016 April 0 Comments


Pastiche, homage and parody are all similar styles but there are slight differences which differentiate them from one another.

Pastiche is defined as 'a medley of various ingredients; a hotchpotch, farrago, jumble'. It is a style which is a tongue-in-cheek light-hearted imitation of another's style which unlike a parody is respectful. Star Wars has been considered as a pastiche of traditional science fiction television and radio shows. Tarantino's films are also often considered as pastiche because of how they mis together a variety of different styles and generic convention. The theorist Jameson said that we imitate old dead styles from the past through pastiche.

A parody is a work which mimic in an absurd or ridiculous way the conventions and style of another work. It aims to ridicule, derive ironic comment or affectionate fun. There are many examples of parody in television and film, such as the Scary Movie films and the film The Starving Games. There are also more subtle versions of parody such as the imitation of Antonio Banderas of himself as Puss in Boots in Shrek. 

Homage is a text which pays respect to another text or style. It is usually used by creatives to pay respect to those who have influenced them. An example is the television series Sherlock which is based upon the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories but set in modern day. The creators of the show, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, were childhood fans of Sherlock Holmes and Conan Doyle, they use Sherlock as a way to honour and pay respect to the stories that they grew up loving. 

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