1. Satire Dr. Maier

2. Satire Definition: A genre that pokes fun at some element of society (or society as a whole) and often uses laughter as a means of correcting vice.

3. Horatian versus Juvenalian Satire Horatian Satire: pokes fun at society through good-natured and playful humor. Juvenalian Satire: indicts society with vitriolic, mean-spirited humor.

4. Tools of Satire Parody: Imitation for the sake of rendering ridiculous Burlesque: A ridiculous exaggeration of a serious work (basically synonymous with parody) Caricature: A drawing that emphasizes exaggerated physical traits.

5. Important Satires in History ●The plays of Aristophanes (Ancient Greece) ●Apuleius’ Golden Ass (Rome) ●The picaresque novels of Renaissance Spain (most notably Lazarillo de Tormes, published in 1555) ●Don Quixote (Cervantes’ great novel, published in 1605) ●Tom Jones (A brilliant-century English novel by Henry Fielding) (1749) ●Huckleberry Finn (1884) ●The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy

6. Functions of Satire ●“Castigat ridendo mores” (to correct social custom by laughing at it) ●To offer criticism of society indirectly and through the “protection” of a silly or innocent character (such as an uneducated orphan) ●To use humor as a sugar-coated pill (laughter purges of vice; comic catharsis)

7. Journal Prompt 1)In what ways can Huck Finn be labeled a satire? Which elements of antebellum society are being mocked and how? Be specific! 2)What special role does an innocent (yet wily) adolescent narrator play in Twain’s satire? Explain why Huck functions as an appropriate satirical “tool”.

8. Journal Prompt 3.Compare and contrast satire in one modern example (a movie or television show and Huck Finn).