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Period piece

 

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Period piece



 
 
"Period piece" is phrase that is used to describe creative works.

he performing arts
Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms of art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical work of art....
, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genre
Genre

A genre is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other Art#Art forms or utterance....
s. It may be as long and general as the medieval era
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 or as limited as one decade—the Roaring Twenties
1920s

The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the "Jazz Age" or the "Roaring Twenties", when speaking about the United States and Canada. In Europe the decade is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Twenties"....
, for example. Most commonly seen in film. A period piece movie is also referred to as a costume drama
Costume drama

A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, Set constructions and Theatrical property are featured in order to capture the ambiance of a particular era....
.

eriod piece can also describe a work that was famous in a past era but less so today: for example, one might describe a production of a drama by one of Shakespeare's contemporaries as "an interesting period piece" but would be less likely to describe a production of Hamlet
Hamlet

Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle King Claudius, who has murdered King Hamlet, the King, and then taken the throne and married Gertrude ....
 as such.






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"Period piece" is phrase that is used to describe creative works.

Usage


Setting

In the performing arts
Performing arts

The performing arts are those forms of art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical work of art....
, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genre
Genre

A genre is a loose set of criteria for a category of composition; the term is often used to categorize literature and speech, but is also used for any other Art#Art forms or utterance....
s. It may be as long and general as the medieval era
Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
 or as limited as one decade—the Roaring Twenties
1920s

The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the "Jazz Age" or the "Roaring Twenties", when speaking about the United States and Canada. In Europe the decade is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Twenties"....
, for example. Most commonly seen in film. A period piece movie is also referred to as a costume drama
Costume drama

A costume drama is a period piece in which elaborate costumes, Set constructions and Theatrical property are featured in order to capture the ambiance of a particular era....
.

Work from the past

Period piece can also describe a work that was famous in a past era but less so today: for example, one might describe a production of a drama by one of Shakespeare's contemporaries as "an interesting period piece" but would be less likely to describe a production of Hamlet
Hamlet

Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle King Claudius, who has murdered King Hamlet, the King, and then taken the throne and married Gertrude ....
 as such. Period piece is contrasted with "classic piece
Classic

Classic may refer to:...
", or something with timeless or lasting broad readership.

Recent work

Period piece can also be used subjective
Subjective

Subjective may refer to:* Subjectivity, a subject's perspective, particularly feelings, beliefs, and desires*Subjective experience, the sensory buzz and awareness associated with a conscious mind...
ly, such as when applied to contemporary or recent works which have not been tested by time, since it is guessing how future generations will view the work. For example Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom

Harold Bloom is an United States author, intellectual and literary critic. Bloom defended 19th-century Romanticism poets at a time when their reputations stood at a low ebb, has constructed controversial theories of poetic influence, and advocates an aesthetic approach to literature against Feminist literary criticism, Marxist literary...
 in The Western Canon (1994) labels those works not included in his list of 20th century literature as being mostly "period pieces" (see Appendix header for "The Chaotic Age"). Since these works are still being widely read (Harry Potter
Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a Heptalogy fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter , together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry....
 for example), it is impossible to know if they will become regarded as classics in the future or simply fade away into mostly unread period pieces.

See also