This book approaches parody as a literary form that has assumed diverse forms and functions
throughout history. The author handles this diversity by classifying parody according to its
objects of imitation and specifying three major parodic kinds: parody directed at texts and
personal styles parody directed at genre and parody directed at discourse. The book argues
that different literary-historical periods in Britain have witnessed the prevalence of
different kinds of parody and investigates the reasons underlying this phenomenon. All periods
from the Middle Ages to the present are considered in this regard but a special significance
is given to the postmodern age where parody has become a widely produced literary form. The
book contends further that postmodern parody is primarily discourse parody - a phenomenon which
can be explained through the major concerns of postmodernism as a movement. In addition to
situating parody and its kinds in a historical context this book engages in a detailed
analysis of parody in the postmodern age preparing the ground for making an informed
assessment of the direction parody and its kinds may take in the near future.
