The use of Satire and Satirical Devices

Definition of Satire A humorous writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring about change; a literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through satirical devices.

Purpose of Satire 1. Real-world change or reform. 2. Honest re-examination of values. 3. Development of new goals, attitudes, or perspectives.

Two Types of Satire Types of direct satire: Horatian Satire – pokes fun at humble foils with a witty, even indulgent tone. Juvenaliean Satire – denounces human vice and error in dignified and solemn tones. Types of indirect satire: Menippean Satire – most common; satiric effect is achieved not through direct condemnation but rather through modes of presentation and representation (non sequitur, exaggeration).

Satirical Devices - Irony Verbal Irony – inversion of meaning; saying the opposite of what is meant. Dramatic Irony – contrast between the meaning intended by the speaker and the added significance seen by others. Socratic Irony – feigning ignorance to achieve some advantage over an opponent. Situational Irony – depends on a discrepancy between purpose and results (ex. The burning firehouse, the cardiologist who dies of a heart attack)

Satirical Devices - Hyperbole The use of deliberate exaggeration to achieve an effect (also known as overstatement). Examples: People moved slowly then. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. -  To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you till China and Africa meet - “As I Walked Out One Evening” W.H. Auden

Satirical Devices -Litotes A form of meiosis (understatement) that involves making an affirmative point by denying its opposite. Litotes is the opposite of hyperbole and is often used to achieve an ironic effect. Examples: “Not a bad idea” – meaning a “good idea” “It isn’t very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain.” – The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Satirical Devices - Caricature An exaggeration or other distortion of an individual’s prominent features or characteristics to the point of making that individual appear ridiculous. Caricatures exaggerate distinctive or idiosyncratic characteristics, such as a large nose or a habit of apologizing frequently. Examples: Comic strip Doonesbury by Gary Trudeau represented former vice president Dan Quayle as a feather and former president George H. W. Bush as being invisible. “whose villainous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair” – Fagin in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Satirical Devices - Wit Clever expression – whether aggressive or harmless, that is, with or without derogatory intent toward someone or something in particular. We also tend to think of wit as being characterized by a mocking quality, evoking laughter. Seen as an intellectual form of humor. Examples: “I married beneath me. All women do.” – Lady Astor “Everywhere I go I’m asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a bestseller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.” – Flannery O’Connor