ABSTRACT
Most theories of parody, including those of the Russian formalists, regard it as a device for satirization or for alienation rather than as a structure. Like all ironic structures, parody is composed of two incongruent layers. In the specific case of parody both layers are taken from pre-existing cultural contexts, such as specific works of art, personal artistic styles, stylistic genres, topics or stylistic periods. The neglect of structural questions concerning parody is also due to historical circumstances, since the classical writings on parody are more prescriptive than descriptive. The combination of the fallacious equations renders a muddled picture in which all the techniques can also be regarded as structural components that operate in all the structural layers. Linda Hutcheon's work comes closest to a useful suggestion of a structure, mainly due to the structuralist tendency of her definitions of parody.
