1. Satire, Irony, Sarcasm and more fun
Isn’t it ironic?
Satire, Irony, Sarcasm and more fun

2. What’s the difference?
Sarcasm- often an exaggerated form of irony. It’s more obvious and meant to hurt someone
Irony- is usually directed at a situation and usually isn’t meant to hurt. Not meant to improve things, merely to observe the ridiculous situations people find themselves in
Satire- ridiculing human weakness in order to bring about change- ultimately most satire is trying to draw attention to a situation in order to bring about change

3. Satire A literary genre that uses irony, wit,
and sometimes sarcasm to mock. Often shows problems with society, sometimes hopes to change them. Common targets of satire include individuals ("personal satire"), types of people, social groups, institutions, and human nature. Like tragedy and comedy, satire is often a mode of writing introduced into various l iterary forms; it is only a genre when it is the governing principle of a work. Same with Irony
Two major types
Indirect- satire is communicated through characters in a situation- Ex. Huck Finn
Direct-satire is directly stated
Juvenalian- attacking, bitter, angry- Sicko
Horatian- lighthearted, intended for fun- SNL sketches. Jay Leno

4. Common Techniques of Satire
Exaggeration- to enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal so that it becomes ridiculous and it’s faults can be seen
Example “chastity belt” in Men in Tights
Sub-type: Caricature- an exaggeration or distortion of an individual’s features or characteristics so extreme that the person looks ridiculous
Think Obama’s ears on political cartoons
Incongruity- presenting things out of place or absurd in relation to their surroundings
Example- combat boots on a prom queen

5. More characteristics of satire
Burlesque- imitating a serious work in a mocking way
Example- mockumentaries, The Colbert Report, South Park
Parody- a type of burlesque imitating the techniques or style of a particular work or author for comic effect, usually to ridicule or criticize the work, author or style. Can also apply to film, songs and paintings.
Example- Austin Powers, Dance Flick, Spaceballs
Reversal- the opposite of the normal way of doing things
Example- the girl rescuing the boy, Shrek

6. Basic Definition of Irony
Irony- a contradiction or incongruity between appearance/expectation and reality Events, situations, even how something is structured can all be ironic. When used repeatedly, an ironic tone can be created.

7. Types of Irony Verbal (rhetorical) Irony- Most common
Meant to be an obvious discrepancy in what a speaker says and what they believe
Often they say the exact opposite of what they mean
Examples- “funny as a heart attack”
“clear as mud” “oh yeah, I had a great day”

8. Situational Irony
Created by events or situations rather than statements.
People involved may not understand the irony.
Examples-
“Gift of the Magi”,
the myth of King Midas
winning the lottery and dying the next day- a la Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic”

9. Types of Situational Irony
Dramatic Irony- when the audience knows more than the characters do
Wiley Coyote and Roadrunner
Soap operas
Tragic Irony- the consequences of the character’s ignorance is catastrophic
Hamlet’s murder of Polonius
Socratic Irony- pretending to be dumb to ask innocent questions and get your opponent to wind up agreeing with you
Used in legal-show interrogations

11. Structural Irony
Something separate from plot, but which creates a discrepancy to get audiences to question surface statements or appearances
Often done by using a naïve or unreliable narrator. Readers distrust the narrator’s perceptions
Example-
SNL sketches
Daily Show/Colbert Report
The Great Gatsby