Pastiche

The word pastiche describes a literary or other artistic genre. The word has two competing meanings, both discussed below.

Pastiche as imitation

In much current usage, the term denotes a literary technique employing a generally light-hearted tongue-in-cheek imitation of another's style; although jocular, it is usually respectful (as opposed to parody, which is not).

Related Topics:
Literary technique - Parody

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For example, many stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, originally created by Arthur Conan Doyle have been written since Conan Doyle's time as pastiches. David Lodge's novel The British Museum Is Falling Down (1965) is a pastiche of works by Joyce, Kafka, and Virginia Woolf. Much fan fiction is pastiche.

Related Topics:
Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle - David Lodge - The British Museum Is Falling Down - 1965 - Joyce - Kafka - Virginia Woolf - Fan fiction

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Pastiche is also found in non-literary works, including art and music. For instance, Charles Rosen has characterized Mozart's various works in imitation of Baroque style as pastiche.

Related Topics:
Charles Rosen - Mozart's - Baroque

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Pastiche is prominent in popular culture. Many genre writings, particularly in fantasy, are essentially pastiches. The Star Wars series of films by George Lucas stands out for the relentlessly derivative nature of its plot and characters.

Related Topics:
Popular culture - Fantasy - Star Wars - George Lucas

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Pastiche can also be a cinematic device wherein the creator of the film pays homage to another filmmaker's style and use of cinematography, including camera angles, lighting, and mise-en-scene. A film's writer may also offer a pastiche based on the works of other writers (this is especially evident in historical films and documentaries but can be found in non-fiction drama, comedy and horror films as well).

Related Topics:
Cinematic - Homage - Cinematography - Lighting - Mise-en-scene - Documentaries - Non-fiction - Drama - Comedy - Horror

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See also

parody, fan fiction, doujinshi

Related Topics:
Parody - Fan fiction - Doujinshi

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