Parody has been a part of contemporary culture for centuries. Whether in literature, theater, film or art, rarely does a day go by when an example of a parody is not widely visible.

Parody has been a part of contemporary culture for centuries. Whether in literature, theater, film or art, rarely does a day go by when an example of a parody is not widely visible.
Parody is often confused with a spoof or a satire. However, these three terms are different.
Now that you know what parodies are and how they differ from similar concepts, check out how they began and current examples.
It can be said that parody originated with the ancients in Greece. In ancient Greece, a parody was a song or poem that imitated the style and flow of another poem. The word parody has Greek root words, with par meaning "beside" and ody referring to an "ode" or "song."
One of the first examples of parody in English society was done around 1598. An author by the name of Ben Johnson wrote a work entitled Every Man in His Humour. In this work, the word parody (then spelled parodie) was used to describe the work as something "absurder than it was."
Additionally, other examples from centuries past were illustrated by an English author named John Dryden. In 1693, Dryden expanded upon the initial mention of parody used by Ben Johnson. Dryden's definition goes as far as to state that the word parodies refers to satyrique poetic works that were "turned into another sence than their author intended."
Throughout the duration of the 17th and 18th centuries, Dryden went on to create several parodies that illustrated his definition of the word, both of which were poems, which stayed in line with his original definition.
With time, parodies became a part of everyday language. In contemporary society, parodies surround us. Examples of parodies can be found in film, television, music, and books.
Some of the most famous parodies that are easily recognizable come from the contemporary film genre.
Popular movies that fall under the parody category include:
Another medium serving up parody is music.
One major contender, musician and leading parody-man, Weird Al Yankovic, made a career out of his parodies of American popular music. He made popular musical parodies in the 1980s that rivaled many of the artists' work that he ridiculed. His parodies include:
Other famous music parodies include:
One of the more visible parody examples that the viewing public sees weekly is via television. Many sketch comedy shows have managed to take the initial notion of parody to the extreme - often going beyond merely pushing the envelope.
Such examples of sketch comedy shows include:
Quite often, you can catch a parody being done on a local radio station. Disc jockeys sometimes make up 20-second spots parodying a rap artist or singer.
Literature is also full of parodies, like these examples:
Whether it is done to pass the time, or just to make people laugh, parody is definitely a part of contemporary society.
Parodies are all around us. You can find them in movies, books, and music. Given how well the parody is done, you might not even realize it’s a parody. Keep your funny bone intact by looking at these satire examples.