A literary, dramatic, or musical form that achieves comic effect through exaggerated imitation of serious works or styles. In performance, it often involves theatrical parody, striptease, and vaudeville elements.
From Italian 'burlesco,' derived from 'burla' meaning 'joke' or 'mockery.' Originally a literary term for comic imitation in 17th-century poetry, it evolved through theatrical parody to become associated with variety entertainment and striptease in 19th-century America.
Burlesque was feminist rebellion disguised as entertainment - performers like Gypsy Rose Lee transformed what could have been exploitation into artistic expression and economic empowerment! The form's exaggerated theatricality influenced everything from drag performance to contemporary cabaret, proving that parody can be profoundly subversive.
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