Parody, Meta-parody and Self-parody in Ishmael Reed’s Mumbo Jumbo

Mgr. Michaela Kravalová

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

Práce se zabývá transtextualitou, parodií, meta-parodií a parodií sebe sama v Africko-americkém románu Mumbo Jumbo od Ishmaele Reeda. Cílem práce je objasnit komplexní pojmy meta-parodie a parodie sebe sama, jejichž pochopení je založeno na teoriích literárních odborníků o parodii jako takové, a analyzovat příklady meta-parodie a parodie sebe sama v Reedově románu Mumbo Jumbo. Práce objasňuje pojmy transtextualita a parodie v první části a opírá se při tom o pojetí parodie, jak jej vidí literární kritikové Dentith, Hutcheon, Bachtin a Gates. Později práce přináší závěry o meta-parodii a parodii sebe sama a jejich možné pochopení a funkce. V druhé části jsou tyto závěry aplikovány na konkrétní případy z Africko-amerického románu Mumbo Jumbo od Ishmaele Reeda.

Abstract:

The thesis deals with transtextuality, parody, meta-parody and self-parody in an African American novel Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed. The aim of the thesis is to explain the complex notions of meta-parody and self-parody, based on the theories about parody as such by other scholars, and analyze the instances of meta-parody and self-parody in Reed’s novel Mumbo Jumbo. In the first part, the thesis explains the notions of transtextuality and parody, incorporating concepts of parody by scholars such as Dentith, Hutcheon, Bakhtin and Gates. Later on, arguments about the concepts of meta-parody and self-parody and their possible understandings and functions are outlined. In the second part, the findings about meta-parody and self-parody are applied on the African American novel Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed.

Keywords

parody, meta-parody, self-parody, transtextuality, hypertext, hypotext, Signifyin(g), African American, double-voiced, Ishmael Reed, Mumbo Jumbo

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 24. 4. 2009

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 17. 6. 2009
• Supervisor: Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Bachelor programme / field:
Philology / English Language and Literature