So, just as Vico had his New Science to account for the cyclical nature of civilization's rise and fall, I would like to propose my own (though by no means original) theory of culture in order to account for this phenomenon. As I see it, all popular creations go through four stages: 1. Emergence, 2. Refinement, 3. Parody, and 4. Revision.
The first question of course, is what is meant by a "popular creation". I'm playing pretty fast and loose, so it could mean almost anything: a character, a scenario, a theme, a mood. Anything that can be transmitted and replicated, like a meme, between artist and audience, between individuals, and even between cultures.
Stage 1. Emergence
In the first phase, the creation appears suddenly and seemingly from nowhere and is recognizable as something that's new and unique or at least innovative. More importantly it is something that emerges in response to a need, to something that's missing from the culture. It is raw and immediate. This is the creation as myth, as folklore, as superstition.
Stage 2. Refinement
In the next phase, the creation takes on an iconic role within the culture. It has been refined and put into the larger social context. This is the period where all of its qualities become well defined, rules are fixed in place, relationships are established, and its meaning is easily comprehended. This is the creation as art, as literature, as Romance.
Stage 3. Parody
As time passes, the power of the creation is drained. It is no longer relevant to the culture and there is an effort to de-mythologize it and see it for what it is: one object among many. What was once dark, is now light. What was once deep and meaningful is now superficial and trivial. An object can have no power over us if we can laugh at it. This is the period of camp, of kitsch, and of irony. It is the creation seen through the lense of modernism and postmodernism.
Stage 4. Revision
Finally we come to the era of nostalgia, where the dead creation is restored to a new version of its former self. There is an attempt to get back to origins and the authentic nature of the creation, to reinvest in its original power. This can also be a period where the original meaning of the creation is subverted or inverted in order to give it new relevance to the present day. This is the creation in its endlessly volatile, endlessly repeatable retro mode.
One of the interesting things about this last stage is the creeping anachronism where contemporary interpretations are given to past events and our motivations become the motivations of historical persons. There is often a sincere attempt to restore something to its original and authentic state, but what we get instead is a simulation that reflects our own cultural desires and fears.
We confuse the Victorian era with our Neo-Victorian fantasy, ancient paganism with our neo-pagan inventions, and we assume that our readings are the same of those of the author and his or her original audience. The truth is we are reinventing things in our own image.
Examples
Dracula and Frankenstein
- Emergence: The original texts from Stoker and Shelley. Raw imagination, folklore and superstition come together in original visions. Dracula expresses Victorian anxieties while Shelley gives us science fiction as skepticism and philosophy, as well autobiographical fears about the horror of childbirth.
- Refinement: The Universal Monster movies fix them permanently in the public imagination with all of their features, characteristics, back-stories, and rules. Lugosi's accent. Karloff's bolts and lumbering walk.
- Parody: Over time, the Universal Monsters are no longer scary. They turn instead to comedy and merchandising: Abbot & Costello, the Munsters, "The Monster Mash," Count Chocula and Frankenberry cereals.
- Revision: The characters are reinvented as romantic and tragic figures, as in Coppola and Brannagh's remakes, as well as Goth culture, post-humanism, and Anne Rice. Contemporary anxieties cause us to empathize with their outsider status rather than with their victims. Monsters become anti-heroes.
- Emergence: Bob Kane's original and dark Bat-man. He is a two-fisted hardnosed pulp character that reflects the time period.
- Refinement: Now called Batman, he joins the DC pantheon of super-heroes alongside Superman and Wonderwoman in the Justice League. His universe is well defined: millionaire Bruce Wayne, sidekick Robin, Alfred the Butler, the Batmobile, the Batcave, etc.
- Parody: The Batman comic and TV show de-volve into camp and self-parody. Ka-pow!
- Revision: The Dark Knight Returns. Batman is reinvented as a much darker and violent character beginning with Frank Miller. Though no one will acknowledge it, he is a villain. In the Graphic Novel he battles and defeats Superman, a pawn of American Imperialism. We all cheer.
- Emergence: L. Frank Baum writes the original Oz novels and invests in them his own experiences and political beliefs.
- Refinement: The Wizard of Oz movie becomes the iconic version of Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Lion. Changes from the original become the canonical version for most people.
- Parody: The Wiz, a failed attempt to update the story, as well as repeated showings on television ultimately drain the story of life.
- Revision: Wicked retells the story from the wicked witch's point of view, revitalizing it through inversion, and perhaps restoring Baum's original political vision. The upcoming Tin Man mini-series on Sci-Fi channel looks to be a darker sci-fi version of the story.
