User:Squiggle/Retrospectives: A Retrospective

Retrospectives: That rare chance to reflect on things past, to celebrate and analyze them. As one of the up-and-coming forms of expression on Uncyclopedia, which is itself one of the up-and-coming websites known for being endlessly fascinated with itself, the time has come to celebrate, analyze, and reflect these celebration of analyzed reflections. Four main works are accepted in the "canon" of retrospectives:

1. Fisher Price: A Retrospective, a watershed moment for the genre, was a dissection of the literary classic, Fisher Price by 4.252.99.182.
2. Penis Monkeys from Outer Space: A Retrospective, written by the elusive scholar 222.151.215.60, is a satire on the pretensions of Fisher Price: A Retrospective, and a breakthrough in terms of self-reference and the first continuation of the Retrospective series; an under appreciated, yet highly influential, work of literature.
3. Whore: A Retrospective, based upon the short treatise entitled Whore 216.240.157.71, was the third in the loose conceptual "trilogy" of the first three retrospectives, and garnered considerably more acclaim than the second entry.
4. Retrospectives: A Retrospective is a somewhat recursive analysis of the conceptual triptych of the first three seminal retrospectives, as well as a self-referential evaluation of itself and an estimation of things to come in all things retrospect.

Early History

The Retrospective was invented by Baron Retro von Spectenschauffencin the early 1700's in the form of his popular pamphlet, I Love the 1690's. The nostalgia-inducing series of pamphlets, with one edition for the years 1690-1699 each, were wildly popular, covering such 1690's pop culture phenomenons as the invention of the clarinet, the Amish forming, and O.J. Simpson's infamous low-speed wagon chase. The idea of a "retrospective" became a hit, though not until considerably later would people look back and realize its importance.

Period of Inactivity and Penis Monkeys from Outer Space: A Retrospective

Penis Monkeys from Outer Space: A Retrospective

After the short-lived revolution that was Fisher Price: A Retrospective, many literary critics derided the Retrospective technique as being a one-hit wonder and a fad. For a while, it seemed that these observations would prove true, as almost ten months had passed from FP:AR's conception and two months had passed from its featuring and still no follow-up had been written. FP:AR became, for all its originality, hardly influential, and despite the hype no Retrospective namespace would be made for generations to follow.

Then, from the barely settled dust of FP:AR and from the brain of obscure satirist 222.151.215.60 emerged Penis Monkeys from Outer Space: A Retrospective. Although it was never made clear whether or not Penis Monkeys was a critical satire of FP:AR or a loving tribute, many literary critics interpret it as a satire. For example, the nonexistence of an actual Penis Monkeys from Outer Space article suggests a fictional parody. Unfortunately, for all of its critical acclaim and artistic potential, Penis Monkeys from Outer Space: A Retrospective passed relatively unnoticed by the Uncyclopedia community; however, to this day Penis Monkeys has developed a close-knit "cult" following, smaller than that of FP:AR's broader following but perhaps more intense in its admiration.

Penis Monkeys from Outer Space: A Retrospective itself has little relevance to monkeys with penises (though it should be noted that the term Penis Monkeys is implied to refer to monkeys of any gender with a phallus-shaped nose, and not merely male monkeys with penises in the regular position). Instead, Penis Monkeys focuses on the fictional history of a nonexistent article, Penis Monkeys from Outer Space, and its rise to popularity. The satirical retrospective effectively mimicked the style and pretension of Retrospectives on a whole, as well as being a provocative piece on the rise and fall of a featured article, serving as a dark cautionary tale to inexperienced yet promising young writers. And all the while, there are penis-nosed monkeys to gawk at.