introduction to satire

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Introduction to Satire The Art of Indirect Persuasion

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Introduction to SatireThe Art of Indirect Persuasion

What is Satire? If you have ever enjoyed watching late-night comedy shows,

you know how effective and fun this approach can be when it comes to changing perception of the subjects being lampooned.

We will explore their genres and techniques – the art of satire

Important aspects include diction and syntax, tone, and parody (the art of manipulating the conventions and content of other formats and genres)

What is Satire? Satire is a literary genre that uses irony, wit, and sometimes

sarcasm to expose humanity’s vices and foibles, giving impetus, or momentum, to change or reform through ridicule.

It is a manner of writing that mixes a critical attitude with wit and humor in an effort to improve mankind and human institutions.

While some writers and commentators use a serious tone to persuade their audiences to accept their perspective on various issues, some writers specifically use humor to convey a serious message.

Objectives

Irony

Hyperbole / Exaggeration

Litotes / Understatement

Caricature

Wit

Sarcasm

Ridicule

Parody

Invective

Antithesis

Colloquialism

Anticlimax

Obscenity

Violence

Vividness

Reduction / Reductio ad absurdum

Burlesque

Juxtaposition

Diminution

By the end of this unit, you should be able to identify, explain, analyze and apply the following key characteristics of satire:

Jonathan Swift on Satire

“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.”

Attitude of SatireThe essential attitude in satire is the desire to use precisely clear language to still an audience to protest. The satirist intends to describe painful or absurd situations or foolish of wicked persons or groups as vividly as possible. He believes that most people are blind, insensitive, and perhaps anesthetized by custom and resignation and dullness. The satirist wishes to make them see the truth – at least that part of the truth which they habitually ignore.

Gilbert Highet, The Anatomy of Satire

Types of Satire

Horatian: gentle, sympathetic form of

satire with subject mildly made fun of. The audience is asked to laugh at themselves as much as the characters/speaker.

Tone:CheerfulUrbanetongue-in-cheekOptimisticWarmWittyGentlechiding

Types of Satire

Juvenalian:

harsh and bitter satire, mocking ridicule, points with contempt to the corruption of men and institutions.

ToneCuttingBitterAngryContemptuousGrimSardonicHarshindignant

Forms of SatireParody

Caricature

Travesty

Slapstick

Mockumentary

Fake newscast

(Self-)Deprecation

Burlesque (low, high, physical)

Foil

Dystopia/Utopia

What type is this?

And this?

How about this?

Finally – this?

Objective of SatireThe overall purpose of satire is usually to make some kind of

moral or political change in society

Many satirists hope that the humor will have a corrective effect (almost like a punishment for bad behavior), ultimately leading people to change the way they behave discouraging others from behaving the same way in the future