pastiche

Definition

A work of art, drama, literature, music, or architecture that imitates the work of a previous artist, usually in a positive or neutral way.

Etymology

Via French pastiche, from Italian pasticcio (“pie, something blended”), from Vulgar Latin *pastīcius, from Late Latin pasta (“dough, pastry cake, paste”), from Ancient Greek παστά (pastá, “barley porridge”), from παστός (pastós, “sprinkled with salt”). Doublet of pasticcio.

Example Sentences

• "He argued that the failure of the future was constitutive of a postmodern cultural scene which, as he correctly prophesied, would become dominated by pastiche and revivalism."
• "This supposed research paper is a pastiche of passages from unrelated sources."
• "The house failed to attract a buyer because the decor was a pastiche of Bohemian and Scandinavian styles."

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