satire tis the intent and business of the stage, to copy out the follies of the age, to hold to...
DESCRIPTION
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 evilTRANSCRIPT
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)
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