Homage to muralist Eva Cockcroft in the East Village of New York City.

For the medieval usage see homage (medieval) and commendation ceremony, or Homage (disambiguation)

Homage is pronounced variously as English pronunciation: /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, /ˈɒmɪdʒ/, or /oʊˈmɑːʒ/. The last reflects the modern French pronunciation, although the word entered Middle English many centuries ago. In traditional usage it is analogous to praise; one properly speaks of homage or the homage, rather than a homage or an homage.^[1] The latter usage, however, has been rising during the twentieth century,^[2] reflecting the modern French use of the word to refer to an act or work of homage, especially one work of art imitating another. The French pronunciation in English is generally restricted to this sense of the word.^[3]

Homage is generally used in modern English to mean any public show of respect to someone to whom one feels indebted. In this sense, a reference within a creative work to someone who greatly influenced the artist would be homage. It is typically used to denote a reference in a work of art or literature to another, at least somewhat widely known, work. In literature and film, homage is similar to allusion, except that whereas allusion merely refers to another work, homage typically repeats a recognizable scene or stylistic element from the other work. Homage can be similar to parody, except that parody typically exaggerates characteristics of target works for comedic effect.

Homage may occasionally be perceived negatively by critics as a technique often associated with amateur creators. Use of homage may be regarded as fannish or as an excuse for lack of originality.

In modern society, homage is less accepted in the mainstream than parody, but still exists. For example, the mass video site Youtube sports many parodies, but also amateur attempts to mimic and honor popular films.^[4]

[edit] See also

• Intertextuality
• Pastiche
• Archetype
• Stock character
• In-joke

[edit] Notes

This vocabulary-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e