1. “…a poem in which wickedness or folly is censured.”
Satire
“…a poem in which wickedness or folly is censured.”
Samuel Johnson ( )

2. Satire… Blends critical attitude w/ humor
Attempts to improve mankind/human institutions (individual, group, or mankind)
Ridicule, irony, exaggeration almost always present (NOT necessarily a comedy)
Some serious statements of value or desired behavior but mostly implied moral code
Audience understands “code” but only pays it lip service (say they do it but don’t actually practice what they preach)

3. Satire... Goal of satire = illuminate hypocrisy of the target
Wants target and/or audience to actually adopt the moral code for real.
Manipulates devices of comparison -similarities/contrasts between 2 things (incongruous list of items, oxymoron, metaphors, etc.)

4. Types of Satire
Horatian Satire: delights/instructs with laughter & ridicule to gently highlight human flaws.
Juvenalian Satire: harsh, intolerant. Attacks particular people, sometimes thinly disguised as fictional characters. Laughter + ridicule (like Horatian) + invective + attack.

5. Satirical Techniques: (used to make a comment or criticism about a particular subject or character)
Exaggeration enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.
Caricature = exaggeration of physical feature or trait. Cartoons, especially political cartoons, provide extensive examples of caricature.
Burlesque = ridiculous exaggeration of language. Ex: when a character who should use formal, intelligent language, speaks like a fool OR a character who is portrayed as uneducated uses highly sophisticated, intelligent language.
Incongruity To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony.

6. Satirical Techniques: (used to make a comment or criticism about a particular subject or character)
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.
Reversal To present the opposite of the normal order. Reversal can focus on the order of events, such as serving dessert before the main dish or having breakfast for dinner. Additionally, reversal can focus on hierarchical order—for instance, when a young child makes all the decisions for a family or when an administrative assistant dictates what the company president decides and does.

7. All satire is ironic, but not all irony is satire
Satirical Devices
Irony: most commonly used/most effective = instrument of truth, provides: wit, humor, indirect criticism (deflates, scorns, attacks)
All satire is ironic, but not all irony is satire
Purposes?
want to be believed but lying/probably out of kindness
don’t want to be believed/to upset/sarcasm
don’t want to be believed/share amusement/ironic
Uses?
Writers says opposite of what he means
Give audience knowledge the character lacks

8. Satirical Devices (Types of Irony Cont.)
Verbal – 2 meanings (said and meant) often sarcasm = sneering, personal disapproval pretending to be praise
Structural – built into texts so that surface + deeper meanings are present throughout (use of naïve hero/narrator – comments/observations at odds with reader’s – but reader must understand author’s intention).
Dramatic – audience has knowledge that is denied to one or more characters
Cosmic/Situational –gods, life, fate or some other powerful force manipulate events in a way that mocks the main character.

9. Satirical Devices cont.
Juxtaposition: side by side placement of opposites.
Persona: person created by author to tell story in order to distance himself from what is said. Persona and author may not share same beliefs. Common to use narrators who are not very bright (irony).

10. Satirical Devices
Hyperbole: Exaggeration for emphasis/heighten effect/catalyze recognition/create humorous perception
Invective: abuses and denounces against a person, cause, idea, system; angry, bitter
Understatement: express idea w/ less emphasis than is actually warranted (irony)

11. Satirical Devices cont.
You must research then record in your notes a literary definition for each term below.
Euphemism
Deflation
Colloquialism
Non-sequitur
Pun
Stereotyping
Malapropism
Wit