Parodia y pastiche en la obra de D.M. Thomas

Abstract

Parody, nowadays defined in terms of textual imitation, is present on a major scale in contemporary British literature (Fowles, Bradbury, Lodge, Rushdie, Carter...). Together with pastiche —a multiparodical structure—, they both occupy their place inside the metafictive discourse of self-conscious novels. D.M. Thomas (Cornwall, 1935) goes a step further in his treatment of parody and because of that he has been accused of plagiarism, after publishing The White Hotel. This essay tries to analyse this debate and study both parody and pastiche in his previous novels —The Flute-Player and Birthstone— and, specially, in reference to The Russian Quartet (Ararat, Swallow, Sphinx, Summit), appeared from 1983 to 1987.