Thesis (MA)-- Stellenbosch University, 2004. / Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The following thesis develops a theory of parody as a multifunctional practice in
relation to selected works of Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and Tom Stoppard. The study
discusses parody as a mode of generic engineering (rather than a genre itself) with
ideological ramifications. Based on an understanding of literary and non-literary
genres as social institutions, this thesis describes the practice of parody as one of
engineering generic or discursive incongruity with a particular cultural purpose in
mind. In refiguring generic conventions, the parodist simultaneously reworks their
implicit ideological premises. Parody hence comes to serve as a means of negotiating
with "the world" through generic modification, and the notions of parodic social
agency and cultural work are consequently central to this thesis.
Focusing on The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest
respectively, Chapters Two and Three discuss Wilde's use of parody, and especially
parodic "word-masks", for subverting the aesthetic and social conventions of
Victorian England, and covertly propagating a gay subculture through parodic injokes.
Word-masks - central to Wildean parody - entail the duplicitous use of an
object text / genre as a cover under which a parodist hides other meanings.
If Wildean parody might be described as claiming a covert agency, Joycean parody
must, in contrast, be acknowledged as expressing deep-seated political ambivalence.
Chapters Four and Five of this thesis discuss Joyce's Ulysses with specific reference
to his use of parody to conflate, relativize and problematize the dominant aesthetic
and Irish nationalist discourses of the early twentieth-century. Joycean parody also demonstrates parodic ambivalence and this is especially evident in what might be
called his "parodic patriotism".
In contrast to Wilde's and Joyce's use of parody for the expression of subversive or
progressive political views, Stoppard's parodies confirm conservative English values
not only in their reification of the English canon but also in terms of the ideological
premises with which they invest their hypotexts. Chapters Six and Seven examine
how parody can serve as one of the ways in which modem artists have managed to
come to terms with tradition. Focusing on Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Are Dead and Travesties respectively, these chapters explore parody's capacity to
function as tribute or homage to the writers of the past being parodied.
Ultimately this thesis aims to demonstrate the continuum of parodic cultural work or
effects of which parody, as a mode of generic engineering, is capable. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis word daar - met verwysing na geselekteerde werke van Oscar Wilde,
James Joyce en Tom Stoppard - 'n teorie van parodie as multi-funktionele praktyk
ontwikkel. Parodie word bespreek as 'n vorm van generiese manipulasie (eerder as 'n
genre op sigself) met ideologiese implikasies. Op die basis van 'n vertolking van
literêre en nie-literêre genres as sosiale instellings, beskryf hierdie tesis die praktyk
van parodie as die bewerkstelling van generiese en diskursiewe ongelyksoortigheid
met 'n besondere kulturele oogmerk in gedagte. In die herfigurering van generiese
konvensies is die beoefenaar van parodie terselfdertyd besig om hulle geïmpliseerde
ideologiese aannames te herbewerk. Parodie word dus 'n metode om met behulp van
generiese modifikasie in omgang met "die wêreld" te verkeer; en die idee van die
sosiale agentskap en kulturele aksie van parodie staan dus ook sentraal tot hierdie
tesis.
Hoofstukke Twee en Drie fokus onderskeidelik op The Picture of Dorian Gray en The
Importance of Being Earnest. In hierdie twee hoofstukke word Wilde se gebruik van
parodie bespreek, met besondere aandag aan sy parodiese "woordmaskers" om die
estetiese en sosiale konvensies van Victoriaanse Engeland te ondermyn, asook sy
bedekte propagering - deur middel van parodiese binne-grappe -- van 'n gay subkultuur.
Sentraal tot Wilde se parodie is woordmaskers wat 'n dubbelsinnige gebruik
van teks en genre inspan as 'n dekmantel waaronder die beoefenaar van parodie ander
betekenisse verskuil hou.
As Wilde se parodie beskryfkan word as bedekte bemiddeling oftussenkoms (covert agency), moet Joyce se parodie - as teenstelling - identifiseer word as 'n uitdrukking
van diepliggende politiese ambivalensie. In Hoofstukke Vier en Vyf word Joyce se
Ulysses bespreek met spesifieke verwysing na sy gebruik van parodie om dominante
estetiese en Ierse nasionalistiese diskoerse van die vroeë twintigste eeu saam te voeg,
te relativiseer en te bevraagteken.. Joyce se parodie illustreer ook parodiese
ambivalensie - 'n aspek wat duidelik blyk uit wat sy "parodiese patriotisme" genoem
kon word.
In teenstelling met Wilde en Joyce se gebruik van parodie as uitdrukking van
ondermynende of pregressiewe gesigspunte, bevestig Stoppard se parodie
konserwatiewe Engelse waardes nie net in hulle vergestalting van Engelse kanoniese
tekste nie, maar ook in terme van die ideologiese aannames wat hulle aan hul
hipotekste toeskryf. Hoofstukke Ses en Sewe ondersoek hoe parodie kan dien as een
van die weë waarlangs moderne kunstenaars daarin geslaag het om hulleself te
versoen met tradiese. In Hoofstukke Ses en Sewe - waar daar onderskeidelik op
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead en Travesties gefokus word - word ook
aandag geskenk aan die vermoë van parodie om te funksioneer as huldeblyk of
eerbetoon aan skrywers wie se werke geparodieer word.
Hierdie tesis poog om die kontinuum van parodiese kulturele werk te illustreer
waartoe parodie, as 'n vorm van generiese manipulasie, in staat is.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/49971 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Van der Merwe, Stephen Gareth |
| Contributors | Heyns, M. W., Hees, E., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of English. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 180 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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