A Diachronic Survey Study of Parody in Western Literary Theory and Criticism

Different and sometimes contradictory definitions of "parody" indicate that there is no consistent definition of this concept. A parody in Persian literature - containing valuable treasures to study this concept - has been translated to "Naghise". This word is incorrectly used for most of the concepts close to it. In order to understand this concept, finally, in a correct way in Persian literature, and to better recognize its nature, a diachronic survey study of parody in western theories and literary criticisms is necessary. In this article we will explain how theorizing about it culminates in Bakhtin and the Russian formalists in the twentieth century. We will describe the first approach in that parody was specially defined and distinguished from its adjacent concepts, as well as, the most important and recent theories. Parody, this acclaimed and sometimes perverted concept, has encouraged analysts and theorists to never stop redefining and researching about it.