GENRE STUDIES UNIT-IV Burlesque

 

Burlesque

            The term Burlesque has its roots in Italian as well as French Language in which it was in use during the 16^th century. In French, it meant odd or grotesque, while in Italian it meant ludicrous. It is a  derivative of “burla” that means joke or fun.

            In literature, it means to ridicule the people to mock the low strata by becoming a low one, or mimic a great person by becoming unlike him.  During 19^th century, it was considered travesties and satire on the classic or accepted ideas.

            In literary terms, it means to mock or make fun of a subject through imitation, irony, or sarcasm, resulting in comedy.

     Burlesque is a comic imitation of a serious literary or artistic form that relies on an extravagant incongruity between a subject and its treatment. A play or comedy that exaggerates and makes fun of is called burlesque.

Functions

            It mocks and satirizes the people as well as  manners to show the readers how much mannerisms in people make others smile and laugh. The authors who use burlesque in their writings, often means to correct the people for those little follies and foibles for the betterment of the society.

 

Example: Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock”, Samuel Butler’s “Hudibras”