SATIRE

Satire A type of writing that ridicules an individual, a group of people, a behavior or attitude, or cultural or social institution. Satire uses humor along with criticism to make a point; moral aim: to inspire reform. Satiric styles: Direct and Indirect

Satiric Types Horatian (light-hearted, intended for fun) Juvenalian (bitter, angry, attacking)

Direct Satire Stating direct criticism humorously. Dennis Miller’s Rants. The Death of Common Sense: “You can’t get in your car and not run into another idiot who pulls into the gas station with his fuel tank on the wrong side and then has to get instructions from NASA to figure out how to maneuver his car so that the tank is on the correct side. And you can’t open an paper without reading about an idiot who gets hurt or killed at a railroad crossing because they had to try to beat the train to get home in time to watch Charlene Tilton’s salute to porcelain clowns on QVC.”

Indirect Satire Communicated through characters in a situation. Tools: – Incongruity – Irony – Exaggeration/Understatement – Reversal – Parody – Caricature

Incongruity To present a thing that is out of place or is absurd in relation to its surroundings.

Incongruity

Irony Irony exploits reader’s expectations; occurs when what is expected turns out to be different from what actually happens.

Irony Verbal irony: an inversion in meaning; Ex. words that praise to imply blame or blame to imply praise. Dramatic irony: words or acts carry meaning unperceived by character/speaker but understood by the audience. Situational irony: discrepancy between purpose and results (practical joke backfires). Socratic irony: feigning ignorance to achieve advantage over an opponent.

Exaggeration The portrayal of something trivial or unimportant as very important in order to emphasize its triviality. To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

Exaggeration

Understatement Presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is.

Understatement

Reversal When the satirist uses or describes the opposite of what he or she actually wants to happen in order to make a point. From “Why I hate literature and why you should too” “Books however are essentially faulty. Literature is the worst of it, and if me and my intelligent brethren don’t do something about this horrible plague, who knows what could become of our uneducated humans who read these atrocities. ”

Parody A work of literature that mimics another work of literature, usually as a way of criticizing it. Swift, “A Modest Proposal”.

Caricature An exaggerated portrayal of the weaknesses, frailties, or humorous aspects of an individual or group.