Homage
Origin
Middle English, from Anglo-French homage, omage, from home man, vassal, from Latin homin-, homo human being; akin to Old English guma human being, Latin humus earth
Definitions
- b : the relationship between a feudal lord and his vassal
- c : an act done or payment made in meeting the obligations of vassalage
- 2a : expression of high regard : respect —often used with pay
- b : something that shows respect or attests to the worth or influence of another : tribute <his long life filled with international homages to his unique musical talent — People>
Description
Homage or hommage is a show of respect to someone or something.
It was originally a declaration of fealty in the feudal system - swearing that one was the man (French: homme) of the feaudal lord.[1] The concept then became used figuratively for an acknowledgement of quality or superiority. For example, a man might pay homage to a lady, so honouring her beauty and other graces. In German scholarship, followers of a great scholar developed the custom of honouring their mentor by producing papers for a festschrift dedicated to him.[2]
The concept now often appears in the arts where one author shows respect to a topic by calling it an homage, such as Homage to Catalonia. Alternatively, creative artists may show respect to a veteran of the field or to an admired practitioner by alluding to their work.[3] In rock music this can take the form of a tribute album or of a sample.[4] As of 2010 the digital techniques used to generate many forms of media make it easy to borrow from other works and this remediation may be used to pay homage to them.[5]
Feudal homage
In a simple form, swearing homage or fealty exclusively to a single acknowledged superior could strengthen society on clear-cut hierarchical lines. But Bloch notes the effects of "doing homage to several lords, the true scourge of vassalage" as it developed in the 11th and 12th centuries in Europe.[6]
See also
References
- "Homage", Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, 2
- Robin M. Derricourt, An author's guide to scholarly publishing
- Umberto Eco, The limits of interpretation
- John Shepherd, "Rock Homage", Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World
- Richard Grusin, Routledge encyclopedia of narrative theory
- Bloch, Marc (1989). Feudal society. Feudal society: The growth of ties of dependence. 1 (2 ed.). Routledge. p. 217. ISBN 9780415039161. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
