[Chris O'Carroll]

Aubury's poem is probably best described as pastiche, not parody. As I understand the British use of those terms, both involve imitation, but pastiche does not have an agenda of mockery, or at least not mockery of the writer being imitated. (I hope someone from the UK will set me straight if I've got that wrong.)

By the way, I agree that "recency" would be an unappealing term in serious writing or conversation, although I think it works just fine in the comic context of this poem. That's why I wish it were the poet's coinage.

[Douglas G. Brown]

In Carolyn Wells' massive Book of Humorous Verse, I think it would be under the Burlesque category; but pastiche might be similar?

Warren G. Harding popularized the word "normalcy" (in earnest seriousness) in the early 1920s. He was President, whose main claim to fame was dying in office before his scandals became public.

If WGH's normalcy made the cut, why not recency?

[Jerome Betts]

Chris and John, recency is in my now relatively ancient Concise Oxford (9th ed 1995). I'd only come across it, I think, in grammatical jargon ('recency-frequency adverbs') but it's good to have a rhyme for decency or indecency.

[John Whitworth]

Somebody wrote a book in the style of P G Wodehouse. I couldn't bring myself to read it.

[Nicholas Stone]

Originally Posted by John Whitworth

Somebody wrote a book in the style of P G Wodehouse. I couldn't bring myself to read it.

Sebastian Faulks. I wrote an essay on it. Got 14/25.

[John Whitworth]

And was it any good? The book, I mean. The essay obviously wasn't. A noble failure. I once got a failing mark for an essay that made jokes about Scottish Nationalism.

[Nicholas Stone]

It was quite good. Misjudges the level of Jeeves's literary references, but is an interesting piece of fan-fiction. If you think 14/25 sounds like a noble failure, I got 3/10 on an essay on Livy this last year. I got bored halfway through and started writing about Sargon I of Akkad. Teacher not interested. Go figure.

[John Whitworth]

Yeah, Titty Livy's quite a boring person. Sargon I (whoever he is) sounds much more fun. You are in danger of toying with the opposition. That's what Cameron does.

There is a marvellous Gilbertian pastiche by the divine Sylvia over on FANfare. Why haven't you entered that one, Nico? Not old enough? Pshaw!