A Comparison of Development of Parody Movies in America and China
Abstract: A parody imitates a work of art, literature, or music for the purpose of making playful fun or a joke of the original work. It was first used as a rhetorical means in literature. Later, it was also applied to different genres, such as cartoon, music, advertisement, and movie, etc. Parody is easily found in daily life.
Parodies have a long history in both East and West. Parody movies are popular in America. Parodists are free to express their view on different aspects or problems of the society. Although the parody movie industry is not mature in China and it has aroused controversy, it is spreading quickly and has increasing influence on the society, particularly in the aspect of politic and traditional values.
This paper gives an analysis of parody used in both America and China.
The paper intends to look into how parody movies provide humor, and to understand how it developed, and its social influence. The ideas in this thesis enable readers to better understand Western culture and Chinese cultural values.
The movies concerned include Shrek series, Hoodwinked！ and The Simpsons in America and Stephen Chow’s Movies , Crazy Stone in China.
In the introduction, a definition and background of the parody movie will be given. It will also explore different views on this issue. The body will cover different ways of creating humor in the movies and how they poke fun at the issue intended to express the parodist’s ideas. The impact on people is included.
Keywords: parody, egao, traditional value, deconstruction, infringement
Contents
Abstract 1
摘 要 1
Introduction 3
1.1 Definition: Parody 3
1.2 Parody Movie 4
2 Literature Review 5
2.1 Parody Phenomenon in America and China 5
2.1.1 In America 5
2.1.2 In China 6
2.2 American and Chinese People’s Attitude towards Parody 9
3 The Popularity of Parody Movie 11
3.1 Features of Parody Movie: 11
3.2 Reasons for the Emergence and Popularity of Parody Movie: 13
4 The Impact on Culture and Future Development 15
4.1 About Copyright 15
4.2 Future Development 17
5 Conclusions and Implications 18
References: 18
Acknowledgements 19
