1. Satire Noun. A literary manner which blends humor with criticism for the purpose of instruction or the improvement of humanity

2. The necessary ingredients  Humor  Criticism, either general criticism of humanity or human nature or specific criticism of an individual or group.  Some kind of moral voice: simply mocking or criticism is not “satire.”

3. The Satiric Manner  Ironic/Sarcastic  Either good natured criticism (Horatian after Horace) or bitterly cynical denunciation (Juvenalian after Juvenal)  Always opposed to pretense, affectation, and hypocrisy  More than a little bit prone to references to things society finds taboo or disgusting (bodily functions, sexuality, etc.)

4. Main tools of the satirist  Direct satire  Indirect Satire –Parody –Caricature –Exaggeration/Diminuization –Utopianism –Dystopianism

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

6. Comedian Dennis Miller’s popular series of books, Rants, are an excellent modern example of direct satire.

7. The Death of Common Sense “You can't get in your car and not run into another idiot who pulls into the gas station with his fuel tank on the wrong side and then has to get instructions from a NASA team at Houston Control to figure out how to maneuver his car so that the tank is on the correct side. And you can't open a paper without reading about a mondo idiot who gets hurt or killed at a railroad crossing because they had to try and beat the train to get home in time to watch Charlene Tilton's salute to porcelain clowns on QVC.”

8. Parody = a work of literature that mimics another work of literature, usually as a way of criticizing it.  Monty Python and the Holy Grail  Austin Powers  Scary Movie/Epic Movie  Gulliver’s Travels  Don Quixote  Wicked

9. Reversal…  When the satirist uses/describes the opposite of what he actually wants to happen in order to make a point… When Colbert discusses the Mexican “invasion” of Hollywood, he truly means that he does not mind the “immigration” but comments on the irrational fear conservatives have of Hollywood and immigrants.

10. Caricature = An exaggerated portrayal of the weaknesses, frailties, or humorous aspects of an individual or group.

11. Caricatures of the presidential candidates by Saturday Night Live cast members in ‘03 year actually changed the way that the candidates performed in public.

12. Exaggeration = The portrayal of something trivial or unimportant as very important, usually to emphasize its triviality. Diminuization = 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)

13. An Excerpt.. The Peer now spreads the glittering Forfex wide, T' inclose the Lock; now joins it, to divide. Ev'n then, before the fatal Engine clos'd, A wretched Sylph too fondly interpos'd; Fate urged the Sheers, and cut the Sylph in twain, (But Airy Substance soon unites again) The meeting Points the sacred Hair dissever From the fair Head, for ever and for ever!

14. Utopianism = A criticism of the status quo through comparison with a superior kind of society that highlights the weaknesses of one’s own.  Utopia, by Sir Thomas Moore  Gargantua and Pantegruel  Gulliver’s Travels, Book II

15. Dystopianism = A criticism of certain aspects of society through comparison to an inferior society that adopts some of these aspects.  George Orwell’s 1984  Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World  Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451  Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano  Gulliver’s Travels, Book IV * Both Dystopianism and Utopianism use contrast to make point.

16. Other Methods of Achieving Satire  Reduction  Invective  Burlesque  Reductio ad absurdum  Violence  Obscenity  Irony  Paradox  Wit  Hyperbole

17. Reduction  devalues the victim by belittling or reducing dignity –Animal imagery to mock –Change in size or stature –Removal of rank or status as to “bring the person down a notch”

18. Invective  An invective is usually an open insult meant to degrade or humiliate the subject  It is most commonly used for shock  Example: some of the scenes used in the movie “Borat” were used for shock purposes and degraded the subjects they were poking fun at

19. Burlesque  Burlesque refers to a ridiculous exaggeration in language –The goal is to make the object of ridicule look ridiculous  Is often used to diminish power of people in power and “bring them down a level.”

20. Reductio ad absurdum  A method where the writer first agrees with an idea or belief, then pushes that belief to furthest point to make it seem ridiculous  The goal is to make the first assumption or belief seem foolish when finished  Example: In the “I hate literature” article, the statement “I hate literature and so should you” was pushed to such an extreme that the beginning statement seemed foolish at the end.

21. Violence  Violence is used to help portray situations to make the subject look or feel awkward  Example: Many South Park episodes use extreme violence to poke fun at certain groups and situations (like the invasion from Jersey that could only be ended with guns and bombs)

22. Obscenity  Often used to make the reader uncomfortable about a situation being discussed  Also used to take subject being discussed to an extreme level  Example: South Park, Tosh.O

23. Irony  Is used to give “double meanings” and make the intended audience think deeper  It conveys a meaning different than what is being said  It may also be a situation where the audience or viewer expects one thing to find another thing happen instead  Example: The viewer expects the hero to come in and save the damsel in distress, instead a random passerby thwarts the villain and unknowingly saves the day

24. Paradox  A statement or situation that seems contradictory  OR, two storylines that contradict one another  Anything that is CONTRAY to what is expected or accepted  Example:

25. Wit  To be witty means to be clever and funny  But being witty does not always mean you are being satirical  HOWEVER, we can classify many pieces of satire as BEING witty if they are perceptive and clever

26. Hyperbole  An obvious and intentional form of exaggeration  Usually a statement not meant to be taken literally; in other words, an overstatement  Example: The statement “waiting for an eternity”

27.  It is always important to remember that satire and the methods used to achieve it, are used for a purpose. Just mocking or parodying something without a purpose is not satire!