Pastiche

= = toc

=**What is Pastiche?**= = =

Pastiche is defined by Jameson as, “the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style […] speech in a dead language. But it is a neutral practice of such mimicry, without any of parody's ulterior motives, amputated of the satiric impulse, devoid of laughter” (Jameson, 1991).

Pastiche is in itself a means of bringing together seemingly incongruous parts, and meshing them together into a media format. This concept is important in the study of postmodernism, and is present in many genres of media. The use of pastiche in media would not be possible without the existence of genres, since pastiche requires the incorporation of stylistic elements from different genres. In short, pastiche spans genres, and crosses cultural and temporal boundaries.

Jameson also concludes that pastiche is created as a means of "cannibalizing styles of the past" (1991). That is, incorporating postmodern concepts into the program in such a way that reconfigurations of cultural artifacts are connected to something that subverts the original. These elements create a relationship with the viewer in requiring active participation to understand the references outside of the context of the current form.

When analyzed as a postmodern text, television programs function in such a way that cultural artifacts previously seen as “masterpieces” become more of a novelty (Jameson 77). Essentially, autonomous nature of the original becomes an object that is intertextually connected to other works: the masterful “works” of the past are contrasted alongside new “texts” that mock the original.

=Pastiche in Media=

A contemporary reference to elements of pastiche would be the popular cartoon series, //The Simpsons//. Within the context of the postmodern, mass culture products do not ‘quote’ past materials; rather, as Jameson speculates, contemporary mass culture products ‘incorporate [intertextuality] into [their] very substance’ (3). This incorporation results in //The Simpsons// becoming an assortment of references to various cultural artifacts. For instance, in the episode //Midnight RX// (an episode about selling drugs), the title itself is referential to the movie //Midnight Express//, a movie that is, consequently, about dealing drugs.
 * The Simpsons**

Pulp Fiction functions as an exercise in intertextuality due to the many references that it makes to styles of previous years. For example, the language that is used is allusive to cultural colloquialisms from the fifties (i.e. "Don't be a square"). At another point, when Travolta's character is dancing with Uma Thurman's character, the music and dances are reminiscient of music and dance from the past. Even the box art (and the movie, by extension) functions as an example of pastiche, which features elements from pulp magazines (hence the name, Pulp Fiction). (Wikipedia, 2006)
 * Pulp Fiction**

=Sources= Jameson, Fredric. “__Postmodernism, or, the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism”__. Duke University Press, 1991.

"Pulp Magazines" Wikipedia, 2006. 