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Glite Dictionary
mock-heroic

mock-heroic

9.3
A poem or story that copies heroic style to make it seem funny
  • noun
  • /mɑk hɪˈroʊɪk/
  • Literature
translation icon : mocoso-heroico
  • The narrative of the excise battle thus works in the traditional way of mock-heroic, moving deftly back and forth between a high language and a lower one that more directly characterizes the Members of Parliament.

So the language of course is mock heroic.

Examples

  • What human technology might be like later on in history is ironically foreshadowed earlier in Paradise Lost, in the somewhat mock-heroic account of the War in Heaven, the failed revolt of Satan's rebel angels.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The noble gentry in Parliament seem out of place within their mock-heroic context.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The most interesting feature of the mock-heroic section involves Marvell's treatment of the anti-excise forces.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The comic effect of this scene, which is a parody of the preceding temptation scene, is heightened by its mock-heroic tone.

    Academic text (1990)

  • In this case, the narrator's alleged ignorance is a constituent part of the mock-heroic style, the formulaic expression of a topos of modesty rather than a confession of a cognitive deficit.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The poem uses mock-heroic elements to humorously exaggerate the actions of its characters.

  • His speech had a mock-heroic tone, making fun of traditional heroism while discussing everyday challenges.

  • In the play, the mock-heroic style pokes fun at the grand language often found in epic poetry.

Synonyms

parody
vsmock-heroic
71 5.0

A funny copy of a song or film that makes fun of the original

focuses specifically on heroic poetry style to ridicule its subject
mockery
vsmock-heroic
66 4.9

Making fun of someone or something by copying them to make others laugh

is a literary imitation using heroic conventions to satirize rather than general ridicule

How Satirical

to lampoon
8 7.7
mock-heroic
  • Literature
9.3
satirical
  • Literature
32 6.3
parodic
1 7.7

Surface Forms

mock-heroic singular
mock-heroics plural

Morphology

mock-heroic = mock + heroic (transparent) = mock + hero + ic

The compound combines 'mock' (to ridicule) with 'heroic' (relating to heroic style), so its meaning as a satirical imitation of heroic poetry is directly inferable.

Etymology

Mock-heroic comes from two parts: mock meaning 'to make fun of' and heroic meaning 'like a hero' or 'grand'. So mock-heroic is a style that copies the grand, heroic language to make something seem silly or to make fun of it.