Satire“‘Tis the intent and business of the stage, To

copy out the follies of the age, To hold to every man a faithful glass,

And show him of what species he’s an ass” -- John Vanburgh, The Provoked Wife (1697)

Example

What is Satire? Noun. A literary manner which blends

humor with criticism for the purpose of instruction or the improvement of humanity

Compels readers to look at a sight they missed or shunned - move them to protest

Through laughter, aims to cure folly and punish evil

The necessary ingredients

Satire requires THREE ingredients to be successful:1. Humor2. A target3. A moral voice

Humor Usually comes in the

form of: Irony: a discrepancy

between what is said and what is actually meant, or between what we expect to happen and what actually happens

Hyperbole: exaggeration Incongruity: a type of

irony that brings together two ideas that do not belong together

Target For a satire to be successful it must target

someone/something to ridicule Usually presents a criticism, either general

criticism of humanity or human nature or specific criticism of an individual or group.

Moral Voice For satire to be

successful it must have some kind of moral voice: simply mocking or criticism

is not “satire.” It must use satire to point

out how the target lacks morals

You may not agree with this moral voice (which would you to not laugh at the joke), but that does NOT prevent the satire from being effective.

Example

Example:

• Adobe satire• New iphone satire

Other common tools of Satire: Fantasy: The creation of a world in which

common sense has collapsed Grotesque: producing a grim, cynical kind

of humor (gallows humor)

Two Types of SatiristsOptimist

Likes people, but thinks they are rather blind and foolish

Tells the truth with a smileCures people of their ignorance

Writes in order to heal

Two Types of SatiristsPessimist

Loves individuals, hates mankind

Aim is to wound, to punish, to destroy

Juvenalian satireThe Onion

Types of SatireHoratian: gentle, sympathetic form

of satire. Mildly mocks the subject. The

audience is asked to laugh at themselves as much as the players.

Types of SatireJuvenalian/ juvenille:

harsh and bitter satire

Forms of Satire Diatribe, Invective:

Direct Satire = stating a direct criticism humorously. This is the oldest and, historically, most common form of satiric writing.

Stated without irony or sarcasm Do not have to figure out what the satirist is

trying to say Dennis Miller, Chris Rock, George Carlin

Forms of SatireCaricature, Exaggeration:

Distortion for emphasisUsually focuses on powerful

subjectsEmphasize physical characteristics

in order to make deeper criticism

Forms of Satire Parody :Imitation which, through distortion and

exaggeration, evokes amusement, derision, and sometimes scorn Borrows a pre-existing form

The Daily Show, The Colbert Report Spaceballs

Types of Parody Burlesque:

Vulgar Treats subject with ridicule, vulgarity, distortion, and contempt “Dear companions hug and kiss, Toast old Glorious in your piss”

-- Jonathan Swift on the Irish parliament Mock-heroic

“like a laughing child wearing a full-scale suit of majestic armor”

Grand diction, lofty style Takes a trivial or repellent theme and treats it with grandeur or

feigned solemnity The Onion Headline: “Loser Spends Entire Day in Bed”

Other forms of Satire Exaggeration = The portrayal of something trivial

or unimportant as very important, usually to emphasize its triviality.

Diminutization = the portrayal of something perceived as important as something trivial/unimportant to show its unimportance. Zoolander and the “fashion world” Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise” The Rape of the Lock (A. Pope)

Utopianism = A criticism of the status quo through comparison with a superior kind of society that highlights the weaknesses of one’s own.

Original “Essay” #5: Satire> Due 2/181. Find an example of satire (visual or

written) (that is school appropriate) Identify the three necessary ingredients, the type of satire and WHY it is this type the form of satire and WHY it is this form

2. Create your own example of satire (visual or written) (that is school appropriate) that is about a product