What does burlesquing mean?
Burlesquing is the act of imitating something — usually something serious, dignified, or elevated — in a deliberately exaggerated, absurd, or comically distorted way. As a verb, it belongs chiefly to the vocabulary of literary criticism and satire: a writer might be said to be burlesquing epic poetry, political speeches, or academic prose by blowing their conventions up to ridiculous proportions. The word derives from Italian 'burlesco', from 'burlesca' (jest), and entered English usage in the seventeenth century alongside the noun and adjective 'burlesque'. A second, quite different sense grew out of nineteenth-century stage entertainment: burlesquing came to mean performing in burlesque shows, which mixed comic parody with music and, in America, eventually striptease. Today the first sense dominates in formal writing, while the second survives in discussions of vintage and neo-burlesque performance. Both senses share the core idea of playful, exaggerated mockery.
verb (present participle of burlesque)To burlesque: to imitate or represent (something serious) in an absurd, exaggerated, or comically distorted way; also, to perform in the style of theatrical entertainment involving comic parody and striptease.
- Imitating something serious in an exaggerated, comic, or ridiculous way.
- Performing in or associated with burlesque entertainment (comic sketches combined with striptease).
"The satirist delighted audiences by burlesquing political speeches with wildly exaggerated gestures."
"Critics accused the playwright of burlesquing the tragedy rather than reinterpreting it."
"In her twenties she made her living burlesquing at a small downtown theatre."
The same word that once meant mocking heroic poetry now names a glittering art of feathers and fan dances — burlesque has been both insult and showbiz for four centuries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of burlesquing
'Burlesquing' comes from the verb 'burlesque', borrowed into English in the seventeenth century from French 'burlesque', which derives from Italian 'burlesco', meaning comic or jesting, ultimately rooted in the Italian noun 'burla' (a joke or trick). The literary sense of mocking imitation developed first; the theatrical entertainment sense arose later, in the nineteenth century. Cognates include the related adjective 'grotesque' only loosely, but more directly the Italian family around 'burla'.
Related word forms
How burlesquing is actually used
As a literary term, 'burlesquing' carries no sexual connotation and is used neutrally or approvingly of satire. In its entertainment sense it evokes early-20th-century American vaudeville-era shows; modern neo-burlesque is generally performed as glamorous retro entertainment. The gerund form is common in literary criticism and journalism.
Easily confused with burlesquing
Despite a superficial visual similarity, 'bourgeois' means middle-class or conventional, whereas 'burlesque' refers to comic imitation or risqué variety entertainment.