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

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

6. 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.”

7. Invective Invective: very abusive language (non ironical), swearing and name calling directed against a person or cause. This is the least inventive tool. A long invective is called a DIATRIBE. Rick Mercer Rant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= I62tCACI7tg&list=UUt3Ag7rdgR6 mtzOMEhd_v6g&feature=c4- overview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= I62tCACI7tg&list=UUt3Ag7rdgR6 mtzOMEhd_v6g&feature=c4- overview

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. Parody of Infomercials www.cracked.com

10. 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.

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

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

13. Mock Heroic Style  Mock Heroic: type of burlesque satire that sets up an absurd distance between elevated language and common events.  Mock-heroic is an excellent tool for use when mocking pride (false pride). Finally, Mock heroic is usually conveyed in rhyming couplets  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP5-qJSzDUg Princess Bride clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP5-qJSzDUg

14.  Exaggeration = The portrayal of something trivial or unimportant as very important, usually to emphasize its triviality.  Zoolander  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtQ q0T3ExLs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtQ q0T3ExLs

15. Irony Irony- a stylistic device of speech in which the real meaning of the words is different from (and opposite to) the literal meaning. Irony, unlike sarcasm, tends to be ambiguous, bringing two contrasting meanings into play. Often, irony works by an incongruity between an action or a proposal and the moral words used to describe it. Irony becomes satiric when the real meaning appears to contradict the surface meaning (think: A Modest Proposal).

16. Irony Examples – The Onion  http://www.theonion.com/video/nations-parents-release-annual-ranking-of-top-50- p,35204/ http://www.theonion.com/video/nations-parents-release-annual-ranking-of-top-50- p,35204/  Russian Officials Promise Low Death Toll For Olympics  SOCHI, RUSSIA—  Leading up Friday’s opening ceremonies, officials for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi promised low death tolls for the games, assuring that fatalities would be at an acceptable level. “With an international event on this grand of a scale, casualties are inevitable,” said President of Russia Vladimir Putin, boasting that the winter games have had far fewer deaths than organizers anticipated since athletes began arriving in Sochi. “We are preparing for a completely reasonable amount of mishaps with the torch, mysterious disappearances, and collapsed stadiums.” While Putin did not want to entertain the notion of fatalities exceeding the tolerable threshold, he did offer assurance that the surrounding region had plenty of space available for mass graves.

17. Other Techniques  Juxtaposition: the arrangement of two or more characters, ideas, or words side-by-side for the purpose of comparison, contrast, or character development  Innuendo: a derogatory suggestion that is not literally spoken but rather hinted at  Understatement: A figure of speech in which a writer or speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important than it is

18. 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

19. 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.

20. Analysis of Satire 1. What's the tone of the satire? (grim, cheerful, sardonic, mock serious, optimistic, etc.) 2. What type of satire is this? (direct vs. indirect) 3. What is the writer satirizing? (what aspect of society is he/she trying to criticize?) 4. What is the writer's purpose in satirizing this subject? (what does he/she want to change?) 5. What literary techniques does the writer use in this satire? (hyperbole, understatement, irony, humor, etc.)