Compose a Pastiche

A “pastiche” is a piece of writing that imitates the style of another writer. One of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, Marcel Proust—who is best known for his novel, In Search of Lost Time—was also famous for his pastiches. He was such a flexible writer and such an observant reader that he was able to write stories that seemed just like they were written by other well-known writers. A pastiche is a little like a forgery or a counterfeit. What would it take to write a poem that looks just like a text by Wordsworth, for example? What would it take to fool someone? You would have to choose a Wordsworthian theme, use Wordsworth’s vocabulary, employ Wordsworth’s grammar. You would also have to write in Wordsworth’s style—using images, metaphors, rhythms, and rhyme schemes that seem to bear his writerly “fingerprint.” You would have to think like Wordsworth. Hardest of all, you would have to be as good a writer!In this creative assignment, you will compose a pastiche