The Rise and Fall of Burlesque

Burlesque- 1: A literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation 2: mockery usually by caricature 3: theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts. This is how Webster’s Dictionary defines the word, however the word burlesque has come to be synonymous with raunchy gyrating dances and of course, the striptease. Burlesque was once a very popular and less revealing form of entertainment, yet as its popularity waned in the 1920’s striptease began to take over.
Burlesque’s glory days only lasted for fifty years from 1870 to 1920, although the form itself has been around since the beginning of theatre. In ancient Greece, the famous writer Aristophanes specialized in burlesque literature, and is said to originate off-color humor. (Flinn, 8) The aim of many of Aristophanes’ pieces was to mock the government and make caricatures out o...