The lofty and the low

[flonnebonne]

Is there a word for the bringing together of  old/mythical/high-falutin' elements with modern/mundane/low-brow elements? Like ancient gods playing poker while complaining about their mothers. Or Spiderman having to use the elevator. Or Loki riding shotgun and using his glowy staff like a, well, shotgun.

I feel like I learned a literary term for this kind of thing in high school, but now all I can think is "Whedonism."

Comments

[trixie-chick.livejournal.com]

hm, i think maybe juxtaposition? maybe... =X

[flonnebonne]

I'm looking for something more specific! Juxtaposition is too general. Waaah.

[ontogenesis.livejournal.com]

Neal Gaiman.

[flonnebonne]

A Gaimanism?

[cryforthedream.livejournal.com]

Urban fantasy? I don't think anachronism is precise, even though that was the first thing to come to my mind.

[flonnebonne]

Anachronism fits a lot of the lofty/low situations, doesn't it? But not all of them, waaah.

[februaryfour]

Bawdy? No, I take that back, that's wrong. I know what you're talking about. Irreverence?

[flonnebonne]

Irreverence is still too general, methinks. Unless we start using the word in a specialized way:

"Hulk smashes Loki in the face in this scene, making for a clever use of irreverence."

Huh, that sounds weird.

I bet I would know this if I'd ever taken a media studies course!