Self-parody

John Tenniel's 1864 illustration for "The Lay of St. Odille" inThe Ingoldsby Legendshas been called "a very mild and good-natured parody" of his own painting ofSt. Cecilia(below). In both, the saint rises above the other figures and produces "a spiritual glow". The arc of cherubs replaces the arch with cherubs inSt. Cecilia,and the dirt bank replaces a marble pedestal. Also, the fat man at right is taken from a trumpeter in another illustration by Tenniel, forJohn Milton's "L'Allegro".

Tenniel'sfrescoonJohn Dryden's "Song for Saint Cecilia's Day",c.1849

Aself-parodyis aparodyof oneself or one's own work. As an artist accomplishes it by imitating their own characteristics, a self-parody is potentially difficult to distinguish from especially characteristic productions. Self-parody may be used to parody someone else's characteristics, or lacking, by overemphasizing and/or exaggerate one's own. Overemphasis can be made for the prevailing attitude in their life's work, social group, lifestyle and subculture. Including lines and points made by others or by the recipient of the self-parody directing it to a parody of someone else which that other person is likely to remember and can't de-emphasize without frustration.

Sometimes critics use the word figuratively to indicate that the artist's style and preoccupations appear as strongly (and perhaps as ineptly) in some work as they would in a parody. Such works may result from habit, self-indulgence, or an effort to please an audience by providing something familiar. An example fromPaul Johnsonwriting aboutErnest Hemingway:

Some [of Hemingway's later writing] was published nonetheless, and was seen to be inferior, even a parody of his earlier work. There were one or two exceptions, notablyThe Old Man and the Sea,though there was an element of self-parody in that too.

Examples of self-parody

The following are deliberate self-parodies or are at least sometimes considered to be so.

Literature

• InOne Thousand and One Nights,the fictional storytellerSheherezadesometimes tells folk tales with similar themes and story lines that can be seen as parodies of each other. For example, "Wardan the Butcher's Adventure With the Lady and the Bear" parallels "The King's Daughter and the Ape", "Harun al-Rashidand the Two Slave-Girls "has a similar relationship to" Harun al-Rashid and the Three Slave-Girls "- and" The Angel of Death With the Proud King and the Devout Man "has two possible parodies:" The Angel of Death and the Rich King "and" The Angel of Death and the King of the Children of Israel ".This observation needs to be tempered by our knowledge of the nature of folk tales, and the way this collection "grew" rather than being deliberately compiled.
• Chaucer's"Tale of Sir Topas"inThe Canterbury Talesshows "Geoffrey Chaucer" as a timid writer ofdoggerel.It has been argued that the tale parodies, among other romances, Chaucer's ownTroilus and Criseyde.
• "Nephelidia",a poem byA. C. Swinburne.
• "Municipal", a poem byRudyard Kipling.
• "L'Art" and "To Hulme (T. E.) and Fitzgerald (A Certain)",poems byEzra Pound.
• "Afternoon of a Cow", a short story byWilliam Faulkner.
• Edgar Allan Poeoften discussed his own work, sometimes in the form of parody, as in "How to Write a Blackwood Article" and the short story that follows it, "A Predicament".
• Pale Fireis a novel byVladimir Nabokovin the form of a long, pedantic, self-centered commentary on a much shorter poem. It may parody his commentary on his translation ofPushkin'sEugene Onegin,in which the commentary was highly detailed and much longer than the poem. Both the poet and the commentator have been called self-parodies.
• The short story "First Law"byIsaac Asimovis described by Asimov himself as a 'spoof' inThe Complete Robot.

Film and television

• Gekisou Sentai Carrangeris the twentieth production ofToei'slong-runningSuper Sentaimetaseriesandmedia franchise,and was written as parody of its own franchise.
• Enchantedis a Disney movie which is both a homage to, and self-parody of, previousanimated Disney films featuring princesses.
• Arnold Schwarzeneggeras Jack Slater in the filmLast Action Hero.Slater uses many of Schwarzenegger's action star characterizations including saying one-liners. Schwarzenegger even cameos as himself at the on-screen Slater film premiere.
• Bruce Campbellportrays himself as a B-movie actor who is called to fight a spirit who turns out to be real inMy Name is Bruce.
• Chris Kattanportrays himself as an actor who reinvents his career inBollywood Hero.
• James Van Der Beekportrays himself as the title character's friend in the sitcomDon't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.
• Larry Davidplays a fictionalised and exaggerated version of himself in the television seriesCurb Your Enthusiasm.
• Kevin Hartportrays himself as an aspiring action star in the seriesDie Hart.
• Maria Bamfordportrays herself in the Netflix sitcomLady Dynamite.
• Matt LeBlancplays a satirical version of himself inEpisodes.
• Mike Tysonvoices and spoofs himself as a former boxer who becomes a detective in the adult cartoonMike Tyson Mysteries.
• Neil Patrick Harrisin theHarold & Kumarseries, where he plays "an extreme version of himself who enjoys drugs, female hookers and alcohol etc."
• Nicolas Cageportrays himself in the filmThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
• Richard Dawsonas Damon Killian in the filmThe Running Man.Dawson parodies hisFamily Feudpersona as the film's game show host.
• Rob Schneiderportrays himself in the self-produced sitcomReal Rob,which also stars his real-life wife and child.
• Samuel L. Jacksonas Agent Neville Flynn inSnakes on a Plane.
• The 1990 filmThe FreshmanfeaturesMarlon Brandoplaying a parody of his famous character fromThe Godfather.
• The laterJames Bondfilms, specifically those withRoger MooreandPierce Brosnaninthe title role,have been called self-parodies.
• TheScary Moviefilm franchise parodies the popular horror film genre.Scary Movie Vparodies the Scary Movie franchise itself.
• The 2023 filmBarbie,directed byGreta Gerwigand starringMargot Robbie,is an extended self-parody of theBarbietoy franchise.
• The penultimate episode ofAvatar: The Last Airbender,"The Ember Island Players"involves the main characters watching a play of their own journey. The play itself is a self-parody of the entire story ofAvatar: The Last Airbenderup to that point.

Video games

• InNintendo'sLuigi's Mansiongames, the characterProfessor E. GaddpresentsLuigiwith a communication device designed as a parody of a Nintendo portable console, as such the "Game Boy Horror"in theoriginal title,the "Duel Scream"inLuigi's Mansion: Dark Moon,and the "Virtual Boo"inLuigi's Mansion 3.
• Konami'sParodiusgames parody their ownGradiusgames, as well as several other games they have created. Similar games from other companies that parody their own games includeHudson Soft'sStar ParodierandTaito'sSpace Invaders '95.

See also

• Poe's law
• Cameo appearance
• In-joke
• Mockumentary
• Reality television
• Self-insertion
• Typecasting (acting)

External links

• "Nephelidia" from Representative Poetry Online
• "Municipal" by Rudyard Kipling