# Serious Literature "Ruined" by Seeing Parody First **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311 "2004-08-17T22:42:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/1 "2004-08-17T22:42:31Z")
I’ve recently started reading _The Mists of Avalon_ . But, everytime there’s a scene with Viviane, The Lady of the Lake, I think, “Oh, yeah, that’s the ‘watery tart’ who lobs the scimitar.” Then I chuckle to myself and it’s hard to get back to the story. Darn _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ ! Anybody else have this happen? ---
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/2 "2004-08-17T23:03:14Z")
_Imajica_ had this character that was described in genie-like ways, but I saw Disney’s _Aladdin_ not too long before I read it. Made it difficult to take the thing (he or she, not sure) seriously as a sex object. But then I think it would have been difficult to take seriously anyway, since I am not into gender-bender romances. ---
**Author:** ![cainxinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/3 "2004-08-17T23:11:57Z")
I made the mistake of seeing The Life of Brian and then reading the Bible. Big mistake… The whole new testatment was spoiled for me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/4 "2004-08-17T23:34:59Z")
> [@cainxinth](#): > > I made the mistake of seeing The Life of Brian and then reading the Bible. Big mistake… The whole new testatment was spoiled for me. 😉 Yeah. I kept hearing the Blessed Virgin shouting “He’s NOT the Messiah! He’s a very naughty boy!” ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/5 "2004-08-18T00:07:59Z")
Not literature, but I’ve never been able to watch _It’s a Wonderful Life_ because it’s been parodied by everyone under the sun every Christmas I’ve been alive. Same with _A Christmas Carol_. There is just no way I could take either seriously even for a second. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/6 "2004-08-18T01:35:39Z")
I actually read “The Greatest Gift” – the story “It’s a Wonderful Life” was based on – long before I saw the movie. I’m also one of the few people who read **Lord of the Rings** solely to be able to get the jokes in **Bored of the Rings**. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/7 "2004-08-18T02:23:48Z")
I read Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson a while back. Oliver Cromwell is mentioned quite often, and every time his name appeared, the Monty Python song about him inevitably started running through my head. It got quite frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/8 "2004-08-18T05:14:28Z")
OK, so I HAD read the LOTR trilogy first, but it was only a couple of weeks later that I read ‘Bored of the Rings’. While I was swept up in the movies and subsequent rereadings, I never could take Frito, Spam, and Goodgulf quite the same way again. Same with DOON, but then again I never could take DUNE seriously after the movie. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@The\_Universe\_Lashes\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Universe_Lashes_Out)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/9 "2004-08-18T05:40:27Z")
The Simpsons episode where Marge stars in Oh! Streetcar! I think the mood at the end of the movie was spoiled when I started singing “You can always depend on the kindness of strangers, to pluck up your spirits and shield you from dangers!” ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/10 "2004-08-18T05:41:28Z")
MAD magazine corrupted more of my movie, music and television tastes than literature, but it did a number on more than a few ‘classic’ poems: Jabberwocky, Xanadu, Casey at the Bat, Charge of The Light Brigade, etc. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/11 "2004-08-18T05:48:25Z")
If I were to visit the past I may struggle for the right serious expression when confronted by Klaus Barbie, having seen _Rat Race_. ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/12 "2004-08-18T05:49:24Z")
Well, also because of Monty Python, I’ll never be able to read Kant. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/13 "2004-08-18T06:09:30Z")
I know a bunch of people who’ve had _Citizen Kane_ spoiled because they saw a parody before they saw the real thing. Amazingly I avoided that. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/14 "2004-08-18T06:34:18Z")
I have a long list of songs that I can’t listen to without hearing the Weird Al version running in my head. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/15 "2004-08-18T11:09:17Z")
Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker (who would later go on to co-write _Airplane!_, _Police Squad!_, _The Naked Gun_ etc.) started their film careers with the little-known _[The Kentucky Fried Movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076257/)_. This contained a series of comedy sketches with absurdist and sight-gag humour, as well as the lengthy kung-fu parody _Fistful of Yen_. I thought it was a fairly generic spoof until years later when I saw Bruce Lee’s _Enter the Dragon_ and recognized it as the source material. I ended up concluding that _Enter the Dragon_ was a schlocky pretentious piece of crap while _Fistful of Yen_ was far more entertaining. You have our gratitude. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/16 "2004-08-18T11:29:38Z")
> [@HowieReynolds](#): > > The Simpsons episode where Marge stars in Oh! Streetcar! I think the mood at the end of the movie was spoiled when I started singing “You can always depend on the kindness of strangers, to pluck up your spirits and shield you from dangers!” The last time I watched _A Streetcar Named Desire_, during the scene where Blanche tries to get the paperboy to kiss her, I was moved to sing: “Will this bewitching floozy Seduce this humble newsie? Oh, what’s a paperboy to… doooooo?” And, though it isn’t actually a parody, I have been known to sing songs from the Disney version of “Beauty and the Beast” during appropriate scenes in Cocteau’s _Belle et la bête_. No songs, but there are a number of scenes and little details in the Universal _Frankenstein_, _Bride of Frankenstein_, and _Son of Frankenstein_ that _Young Frankenstein_ have made it impossible for me to watch without smiling. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/17 "2004-08-18T11:43:05Z")
Although not literature, and not a true parody, I advise against seeing _Dr. Strangelove_ before seeing _Patton_: Gen. Buck Turgidson is essentially Patton’s nutty twin brother. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/18 "2004-08-18T12:16:15Z")
I had forgotten how much Mad magazine influenced me as a kid. I had read their parody of _Brian’s Song_ before seeing the film, and my roommates were horrified when I broke out laughing during the scene in the hospital - it was difficult to explain that all I could see was the doctors huddling behind sandbags waiting for the explosives they’d packed up James Caan’s ass to cure his terminal hemmorroids to go off. I also never see a night scene with wet streets without flashing back to the guy hosing down the street wearing a “Official Making The Street Look Like It Just Rained Co.” jumpsuit, or hear thunder without thinking that **Ka-Tack, Ka-Tack, BALOOOM!!!** was the best sound effect I’d ever read. That magazine was great! ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/19 "2004-08-18T12:27:59Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > I ended up concluding that _Enter the Dragon_ was a schlocky pretentious piece of crap while _Fistful of Yen_ was far more entertaining. The end of _Fistful of Yen_ is what gets me. It’s a parody of the end of _Wizard of Oz_, which I’ve seen a bazillion times, but ever time I see _WoO_, I remember the parody and have to grin. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ElectricZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@ElectricZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectricZ)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311/20 "2004-08-18T14:45:49Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I know a bunch of people who’ve had _Citizen Kane_ spoiled because they saw a parody before they saw the real thing. Amazingly I avoided that. I used to read the comic strip \*Peanuts \*when I was growing up, and there was one strip that I always remembered because I didn’t know what it meant. In the first panel, Lucy walks up behind Linus, who is sitting in a beanbag watching TV. Lucy: “What are you watching?” Linus: “Citizen Kane.” Second panel Lucy (walking away): “‘Rosebud’ was his sled.” Third panel Linus: “AAAAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHHHH!!!” I carried that memory around for over a decade, not understanding it in the least. I finally got around to seeing _Citizen Kane_ until I was like 21. Let me tell you, the movie is a LOT less enjoyable when you know the secret of the movie. If I ever meet Lucy, I’m gonna smack the living crap out of her. EZ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/serious-literature-ruined-by-seeing-parody-first/260311.md?page=2)