Intro to Satire By J. Clark With reference to British Lit. Textbook, Denise Trimm, ReadWriteThink, Denton Independent School District, LiteraryDevices.net, Google/Dictionary.com, Literary-Devices.com, Wikipedia.org
Historical Context: Restoration Periodical essay developed, commenting on public manners and values Gossip as well as news! Developing middle class= changing tastes writers began to experiment with long fictional narratives called novels. Theaters closed by the Puritans reopened female actors were now included on the stage witty, bawdy, and cynical By the end of the period, the excesses of the rich and the onset of industrialization turned people s tastes to an appreciation for nature and simplicity. This leads into the Romantic Period (next unit!) Charles II of England
Key Ideas of the Age Rationalism>>logical reasoning based on fact The Age of Reason Neoclassicism Cosmology>>new world view based on Newtonian physics--analysis of natural phenomena as systems Secularism>>application of scientific theories to religion and society Scientific method>> experimentation, observation, hypothesis Optimism>>anything is possible Tolerance>>a greater acceptance of different societies and cultures Mass education>> education under control of the government offered to many, not just the wealthy Utilitarianism>> The good of the many outweighs the needs of the few. Cosmopolitanism>> value multiculturalism and education Freedom>> Individual freedoms, including some freedom for women Reform>> Improvement of society to better serve the needs of the many.
Satire: Persuasion through Humor The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
Two Types of Satire Horatian Named for the Roman satirist Horace (65 8 BCE) Tone: Playfully amusing Method: Gently mocks with understanding. Uses irony, selfdeprecating humor, exaggeration Purpose: Subject should recognize the folly of their ways and laugh WITH the satirist. Juvenalian Named for Roman satirist Juvenal (late 1 st c. to early 2 nd c.) Tone: Contemptuous and abrasive Method: Attacks through parody, exaggeration, biting verbal irony, and ridicule. Purpose: Fight against subject (which is not only foolish, but evil) to provoke societal or political change.
Requirements Humor (especially irony) Criticism Moral Voice Some satirists adopt a false persona to facilitate this
Purpose of Satire Satirists are guardians of culture who sought to protect their highly developed civilization from corruption by attacking hypocrisy, arrogance, greed, vanity, and stupidity. Attack Injustice Highlight the absurd Show the brutal truth with a palatable, humorous voice
Techniques of Satire: Exaggeration Exaggeration: To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen. Caricature: Exaggeration of a person s traits for grotesque or humorous effect. Burlesque: an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something, especially in a literary or dramatic work.
Techniques of Satire: Incongruity Incongruity: To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony. Oxymoron: Apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction Jumbo Shrimp Educational television Business ethics Metaphor: direct comparison of two unlike things Words are daggers Irony: Contrast between expectation and reality Dramatic, Situational, Verbal
Techniques of Satire: Parody Parody: To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing in order to ridicule the original. For parody to be successful, the reader must know the original text that is being ridiculed. My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun Parody subverts the intentions of the original. Note that SATIRE is a broader category. Parody is just one tool in the satirical toolbox.
Techniques of Satire: Reversal Reversal: To present the opposite of the normal order. order of events Breakfast for dinner hierarchical order a young child makes all the decisions for a family administrative assistant dictates what the company president decides and does.
The Rape of the Lock Alexander Pope Horatian Makes fun of a social scandal involving a real-life quarrel between two affluent Roman Catholic families, the Fermors and the Petres. The feud began when young Lord Petre snipped a lock of hair from Arabella Fermor. Goal was to laugh them together again. Mock Epic: Treats a trivial subject as if it were worthy of an epic poem; uses heroic couplets in the style of The Iliad
A Modest Proposal Jonathan Swift Juvenalian Swift was outraged by the injustice of England s treatment of Ireland and wrote the essay to attack those who neglected Ireland s poor. Uses a narrative persona: Look for Swift s own ideas hidden beneath his overly-sunny, naïvesounding voice.