Page 62 - The Language of Humour

THE SHOCK OF THE NEW 49
Activity
Videotape a television show, or collect written data, that has elements
of parody (the magazine Viz for example). Identify the genres and styles
that are referred to. Find examples of imitation of those styles and the
ways in which these have been exaggerated or distorted. Try to assess
the way it is received by different audiences. (There may be differences
between age groups, for example.) When you have read the following
section, comment on the purpose of such parody.

The purpose and effect of parody

This still leaves the question of the purpose of the parody, which can
range from a playful imitation to harsh satire. Sometimes successful
works inspire parodies, so there is an element of celebration of that
style. This may well be the case in the references to Shakespeare in
Forbidden Planet The impressionist Rory Bremner imitates the voice
and style of celebrities so accurately that he sounds just like the
television sports commentator Desmond Lynam, for example. Yet there
seemed to be no further cutting edge of satire: in fact, Desmond Lynam
became more of a cult fugure after this, so the effect was not to make
him ridiculous.
Sometimes, however, the style being parodied is a pretentious one
that is being deflated by mockery: the style is challenged, in order to
renovate and renew it. Where humour has a critical force, the term
satire is used. (Unit 6 looks at examples of satire in literature.) As the
novelist Nabokov says: ‘satire is a lesson, parody is a game.’ Other
writers (such as Bakhtin and Kristeva) argue that parody can never have
the force of satire, which seeks to undermine established attitudes,
because—as the saying goes—‘imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery’. Carnival, for example, was originally a form of parody of the
existing social order, but it can be seen as an ‘authorised transgression of
norms’. Because it exists within that social order and is permitted—
though strictly limited to a few days in the year—carnival may help to
preserve the existing conventions.
In a similar way television parodies are also ‘consecrated by
tradition’, in the sense that they are commissioned and produced by the
same organisation as the form being mocked. Mrs Merton’s parody of
chat shows on Channel 4 may discredit the existing format—or, by
imitation, may serve to enhance it. Shooting Stars was a parody of
television game show formats, but there was no sense that the original