Meme Analysis Intro

Memes are a very general definition for a picture or set of pictures that are humorous. Of course, there are some things that are true for all memes; a familiar picture/mascot for the meme to make it memorable, two lines of short, concise text (one on top and one on bottom), and a sense of relatability. For example, the Bad Luck Brian meme has a picture of a goofy looking kid, two lines of short text, and gives allows the reader to relate to the “bad luck” the kid may have, even though the “bad luck” he experiences is on the extreme side. However, each subgenre of memes has its own special set of characteristics. These characteristics set it apart from its other subgenres. Specifically, the Joseph Decreux meme will be examined for what sets it apart from other memes, and how these differences give it a humorous effect.

Meme Analysis Paper

Elton DeFrance

9/22/14

English 1020

Mr. Breijak

Joseph Ducreux Meme Subgenre Analysis

            Memes have grabbed hold of society. Memes have become the new form of entertainment for a generation. A meme is essentially a picture with text around to, usually, make a joke based on said picture. One meme that is no exception is the Joseph Ducreux meme. It is an oil painting of a man in a silly pose, and the main purpose of the meme is to bring humor in saying typical sayings but in an old fashioned, somewhat Victorian way. The Joseph Ducreux meme is a meme, but also differs from other memes in its style of humor, the picture association, and purpose.

            Memes come in all shapes and sizes. However, there are a few characteristics specific to memes that differentiate it from just any picture. A meme is viral. Of course, this means that memes are relatable. The purpose of a meme is to be relatable so that the reader can find humor in it. A good example would be the Bad Luck Brian meme. The poor kid just cannot catch a break, and we all have days that feel like we just cannot win. Now, in the meme, the situations are a little drastic, but the extreme nature brings a little more humor to the meme because it seems like nobody could have that bad of luck. Without the personal aspect of a meme, it would not make any sense, and there would be no humor to it.

            Memes all have a picture attached to them. By this, I mean that each meme has a sort of mascot. The mascot for the Bad Luck Brian meme is the boy’s picture in the background. These mascots keep the meme in check. For a meme to be consistent, it needs to have a repeated characteristic. Since a meme is only composed of two parts to see (the picture and the text), and the text changes each time to make a new type of joke, the picture must stay the same. The picture also gives a visual to each situation proposed by the text. For the Bad Luck Brian meme, it would not be as funny if the kid looked any differently, because then he would not look like he would be prone to bad luck. In some cases, memes do use a picture that has nothing to do with the subject of the meme, like the Technologically Impaired Duck, because ducks have little to nothing to do with technological knowledge. Mascots like these do not give much context to the meme, but they still keep the meme consistent. The pictures work as the subject matter of the meme and a way of keeping the consistent, and are a very important part of the structure of a good meme.

            Along with the picture, the other visual part of a meme is the text. The text of a meme is situated along the top and bottom of the picture. The reason behind this text is two-fold. First, the separation between the two text fields adds an implied pause between the two fields. The pause helps build dramatic effect, and allows for the punchline to have a greater effect. Second, the position of the text allows for the mascot to shine through. In order to read the meme coherently, the reader must read the first line, then see the mascot, and then read the punchline. Since the mascot helps the meme make sense and give the meme a context, the ability to see the picture before the punchline allows for the meme to be funnier. The text, picture, and relatability are the three major components of a meme, and they are present in every meme.

            Each meme is considered its own subgenre of the meme genre. The Joseph Ducreux meme has a few characteristics that set it apart from every other meme. A Joseph Ducreux meme is different from most other memes in that the picture has a very clear association with the joke and the language in the text. The Joseph Ducreux meme depicts the man, Joseph, in an odd pose, seeming to be a pose some hip-hop artists use. Because it is an oil painting of a man from the 18^th century, it would make sense that the text is mock-Victorian. Since some memes have no association between the text and the picture, the unique association of the picture to the text to the joke makes the Joseph Ducreux meme different from others and helps make it its own subgenre of memes.

            The language is also the basis of the joke. The text “translates” new sayings to mock-Victorian, which takes away whatever connotation the saying has to it and just leaves the saying seem silly. Also, it would be silly for a person to speak like that in today’s day and age, especially when using one of today’s sayings. The meme can also get some of its humor from making fun of other memes. In some cases, the Ducreux meme takes what another meme has said and “translates” it. No other meme uses this type of humor of “translating” the language of other sayings, and few other memes mock other memes, so the humor characteristic helps make the Joseph Ducreux meme a subgenre on its own.

            Joseph Ducreux memes are meant for humor. Not every meme is used for humor. Some memes are used to give opinions, like the Unpopular Opinion Puffin meme, while still keeping the author out of the line of anger from people who do not agree with them by giving the opinion a mascot that is not the author. The fact that the Joseph Ducreux meme is used for humor primarily adds to its ability to be named a subgenre. The combination of the purpose, style, and association between the picture and text make the Joseph Ducreux meme different from every other meme and give its own subgenre.

            I have created my own Joseph Ducreux meme. This meme can be considered part of the subgenre of the rest of the Joseph Ducreux memes because it exhibits all of the charcteristics of a Joseph Ducreux meme. The text matches the picture. Since the picture is an oil painting of an 18^th century man, the logical text option would be Victorian, which I have mocked in translating the saying “Cannot teach an old dog new tricks”. I also kept the Ducreux picture, which makes it consistent with the rest of the Joseph Ducreux memes. The combination of the text being of the appropriate type and the consistent picture help make my picture part of the Joseph Ducreux meme subgenre.

            My version of a Joseph Ducreux meme also was intended for humor. A staple of Joseph Ducreux memes is the fact that the meme is supposed to be intended for a humorous purpose. I copied the style of the text by drawing out the saying in a mock-Victorian style. This meme does not mock another meme, but that does not take away from its attempt at humor, nor does it make it any less of a meme. Since the purpose of my meme was for humor, and the picture and text are correct for a Joseph Ducreux meme, my meme can be considered part of the Joseph Ducreux meme subgenre.

            Memes are a new and evolving type of media. They can vary wildly in their subgenres, but in large, memes have a few characteristics that keep them still in the meme genre. Memes have short, concise text surrounding an image, which works as a mascot and context for most memes, and the subject matter is mostly relatable. The Joseph Ducreux meme has the text, the image, and the relatability, loosely because it is goofy. For these reasons, the Joseph Ducreux meme is a subgenre of the larger genre of memes. Also, the meme I have created is an example of the subgenre of the Joseph Ducreux memes.