Parody is defined as “a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule”. The elements of parody are apparent throughout many of the episodes of The Simpson’s. The episode that I thought showed the best elements of parody, when contrasted to a movie is the episode called, “Bart of Darkness” which parodies the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rear Window. The similarities I will examine are the setting, and the similarities of the female characters. I believe that though seen by many as a low humor cartoon, The Simpson’s incorporates many aspects of high humor as well. This is achieved through the parodying of a classic film such as Rear Window.
As the movie Rear Window begins it shows the thermostat, to give the impression that it is a incredibly hot summer day. Because of the heat, most of the people keep their windows and blinds up to help manage the hot temperatures, and this leaves everyone’s personal lives open for any voyeur to intrude upon. With nothing better to do within the small confinements of his one room apartment than sit around with a broken leg, Mr. Jefferies sits at his window and becomes familiar with his neighbors daily routines, and activities. The
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While she is over in the apartment, she has the upper hand over Jefferies, she has the power and there is nothing that he can do, this is when she is proves herself to him. This is done to contrast Lisa Simpson’s character, which will be further discussed later. So as I reread my paper, I read the definition in my introduction of parody, and realize that there is something missing, something very important when talking about parody. There is a obvious change in the character of Lisa Simpson also. After Bart breaks his leg, he is confined to a very small room, with nothing to do, but be nosey. Nonetheless it is depicted as an incredibly hot day. It is because of the heat, that the Simpson’s get a pool, and the pool is responsible for Bart’s broken leg. But this is the defining moment that shows Lisa once again back to her old self. Only someone who has seen the film Rear Window would recognize the similarities of the setting. Jefferies, witnesses the strange behavior of his neighbor, and explains to the common female character Lisa, what he is witnessing. setting in The Simpson’s episode is set up in a similar, but more humorous way. You can see this by the nervousness and excitement in his face while she is over there. When parody is involved it is not only helpful to get a certain point across, but can also be used to exaggerate a certain character or setting. She is intelligent, and she could be called a feminist, or intellectual, or even nerd.
Approximate Word count =
1281
Approximate Pages =
5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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