When thinking about David Lodge and parody, Nice Work might not be the first novel that springs to mind. This is because the generally accepted conception of parody is that of an imitation of a model text, be it a particular piece of writing, the style of an author or the literary modes of a particular period, with the underlying intention of mocking and ironizing the target text. According to this, the natural association would be Lodge's The British Museum is Falling Down, with a slight deviation as far as the author's intentions are concerned. The concept of ridicule, which can be traced in most of the parodies in the history of this genre since Aristophanes, is not an inherent feature of parody. The mockery does not always go at the expense of the text parodied, as we can see in the case of The British Museum is Falling Down, which is rather a homage to the background texts. It is the issue of the "ethos of parody", which can be ironic, ridiculing, didactic or reverential. This wide "pragmatic range of parody" results from the ambivalent meaning of the Greek word 'para', which means both 'opposite' and 'beside'. Linda Hutcheon suggests that "it is this second, neglected meaning of the prefix that broadens the pragmatic scope of parody in a way most helpful to discussions of modern art forms (…). With this in mind, I shall approach Nice Work along the lines of Daniel Ammann's definition of parody as an "activation or flirtation with an intertext (...) sustained over longer stretches(...)" as well as of Linda Hutcheon's statement that "parody(...) is a repetition with difference." Defined thus broadly, it meets my conception of Nice Work as a non-standard parody. By this I mean that it is not a homogeneous rewriting of an original (with a "difference" , of course), as Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey is a parody of the Gothic novel, neither is it a consistent mosaic of parodies mimicking the originals according to one principle as The British Museum is Falling Down does, and on that account it becomes a parody homogeneous on a higher level.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Defining Parody
2. Parodic Strategies in Nice Work
3. Foregrounding of the Victorian Novel
3.1 Exposing Narrative Conventions
3.2 Discussing the Victorian Novel
4. The Ambiguous Heroine
5. Poststructuralism in Nice Work
6. Nice Work as a Romance
7. A Balanced Pastiche
8. Parody as a "philosophic" Approach
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper aims to analyze the multifaceted parodic elements in David Lodge's novel Nice Work, exploring how the work engages with literary and social discourses. The study investigates whether the novel functions as a consistent parody or rather as a complex, pluralistic text that balances various narrative modes and ideological tensions.
- The role of the Victorian industrial novel as a narrative and thematic framework.
- The critique and ironic subversion of poststructuralist theory and Marxist terminology.
- The deconstruction of contemporary romance tropes and gender discourses.
- The integration of metafictional devices to establish a "parodic infrastructure."
Excerpt from the Book
1. Introduction: Defining Parody
When thinking about David Lodge and parody, Nice Work might not be the first novel that springs to mind. This is because the generally accepted conception of parody is that of an imitation of a model text, be it a particular piece of writing, the style of an author or the literary modes of a particular period, with the underlying intention of mocking and ironizing the target text. According to this, the natural association would be Lodge's The British Museum is Falling Down, with a slight deviation as far as the author's intentions are concerned. The concept of ridicule, which can be traced in most of the parodies in the history of this genre since Aristophanes, is not an inherent feature of parody. The mockery does not always go at the expense of the text parodied, as we can see in the case of The British Museum is Falling Down, which is rather a homage to the background texts. It is the issue of the "ethos of parody", which can be ironic, ridiculing, didactic or reverential. This wide "pragmatic range of parody" results from the ambivalent meaning of the Greek word 'para', which means both 'opposite' and 'beside'. Linda Hutcheon suggests that "it is this second, neglected meaning of the prefix that broadens the pragmatic scope of parody in a way most helpful to discussions of modern art forms (…).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Defining Parody: Establishes a broad, non-standard definition of parody inspired by Linda Hutcheon and Daniel Ammann to frame the analysis of the novel.
2. Parodic Strategies in Nice Work: Outlines the techniques used by the author, specifically structural irony and the use of an intrusive narrator, to compare the text with other literary and social discourses.
3. Foregrounding of the Victorian Novel: Examines how the novel exposes narrative conventions and discusses the Victorian industrial novel through the protagonist's perspective.
4. The Ambiguous Heroine: Analyzes the character Robyn Penrose as both a parody of a Victorian heroine and a representation of modern, progressive contradictions.
5. Poststructuralism in Nice Work: Explores the confrontation between Robyn’s academic poststructuralist philosophy and her spontaneous, human behavior.
6. Nice Work as a Romance: Discusses how the novel employs and subverts clichés associated with contemporary love stories.
7. A Balanced Pastiche: Argues that the novel achieves a cohesive balance between comic, realist, and romantic modes through a binary structure.
8. Parody as a "philosophic" Approach: Concludes that Lodge uses parody as a self-reflective tool to cope with literary legacy and assert the viability of traditional realism.
Keywords
David Lodge, Nice Work, Parody, Victorian Industrial Novel, Poststructuralism, Metafiction, Structural Irony, Robyn Penrose, Vic Wilcox, Literary Theory, Deconstruction, Feminism, Realism, Pastiche, Humanism.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the parodic elements in David Lodge's novel Nice Work, specifically focusing on how the text engages with different literary genres and ideological frameworks.
What central themes are explored in the analysis?
The core themes include the intersection of the academic and industrial worlds, the subversion of Victorian literary conventions, and the critique of poststructuralist and feminist theories.
What is the research goal of this work?
The goal is to determine if Nice Work functions as a unified parody or a pluralistic blend of discourses that upholds traditional realist and humanist values.
Which scientific methods are applied here?
The author employs literary analysis, focusing on narrative theory, intertextual comparison, and the deconstruction of the author's stylistic strategies.
What characterizes the main part of the paper?
The main part analyzes specific structural devices such as the intrusive narrator, the use of mottos, and the juxtaposition of contrasting academic and industrial environments.
Which keywords best define this study?
Key terms include parody, intertextuality, Victorian industrial novel, poststructuralism, and narrative irony.
How does the author interpret Robyn Penrose’s character?
The author views her as a paradoxical figure—simultaneously holding progressive academic beliefs while embodying the traits of a traditional Victorian heroine.
In what way does the paper describe the "parodic infrastructure" of the novel?
The paper identifies a "parodic infrastructure" created by recurring parallels, the use of acronyms across different sectors, and thematic links that unify the novel's diverse discourses.
- Quote paper
- Barbora Sramkova (Author), 1995, Elements of Parody in David Lodge's "Nice Work", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/34139
