The Anatomy of Satire

2. The Anatomy of Satire “‘Tis the intent and business of the stage, To copy out the follies1 of the age, To hold to every man a faithful glass2, And show him of what species he’s an ass” -- John Vanburgh, The Provoked Wife (1697) foolish acts, ideas, or behaviors a mirror

3. What is Satire? • Though he laughs, the satirist tells the truth • Compels readers to look at a sight they missed or shunned - move them to protest • Exploits weaknesses • Through laughter, aims to cure folly and punish evil

4. What is Satire? The purposeof satire is to: • expose, criticize, and/or ridicule an individual or society’s vices (immoral, corrupt, dishonest behaviors) and folly (foolish acts, ideas, or behaviors)

5. What is Satire? The effect of satire is to: • inform the audience of the vices and follies • emphasize the extent of the corruption in regard to the vices and follies • outrage those being made aware of the vices and follies; outrage the guilty parties that their behavior is now exposed • correct the acts, ideas, and/or behaviors in the guilty parties

6. What is Satire? The rhetorical devices/strategiesto create satire: • humor • wit • parody • irony (situational and verbal) • hyperbole • understatement • incongruence (situations, behavior, or objects that are incompatible, inconsistent, or unsuitable)

7. Types of Satire

8. Horatian • gentle, sympathetic form of satire. • Mildly mocks the subject. • The audience is asked to laugh at themselves as much as the players. NOTE: The type of satire is not important – what is important is that in your analysis you can identify tone and the author’s purpose and the effect of satire.

9. Juvenalian • harsh • bitter • cruel • less emphasis on humor but more on wit • immature

10. OPTIMIST - Horatian PESSIMIST - Juvenalian Loves individuals, hates mankind Aim is to wound, to punish, to destroy The Onion • Likes people, but thinks they are rather blind and foolish • Tells the truth with a smile • Cures people of their ignorance • Writes in order to heal

11. "The Simpsons"

12. Forms of Satire

13. Diatribe, Invective • Direct attack • Stated without irony or sarcasm • Do not have to figure out what the satirist is trying to say

14. Exaggeration (caricature) • Distortion for emphasis • Usually focuses on powerful subjects • Emphasize physical characteristics (imagery and details in writing) in order to make deeper criticism

15. Hyperbole • Overstating • Stereotyping groups of people and focusing on faults • Making exaggerated behavior, ideas, or people appear ridiculous or unattractive

16. Understatement • saying less than what is really meant • making an inappropriate idea or behavior seem almost normal or commonplace

17. Parody

18. imitation which, through distortion and exaggeration, evokes amusement, derision, and sometimes scorn • borrows a pre-existing form • SNL

19. Types of Parody

20. Burlesque (tone?) • 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

21. 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”

22. Satire and Parody in the Classroom - Simpsons

23. Examples of Parody • Mad Men Introduction • Simpsons Parody of "Mad Men” • Parody of "Flintstones“ • Mad TV iRack

24. Simpsons-"The Mapple Store" Mapple: "Think Differently“ Steve Mobbs

25. Sen. Burns Endorses Romney Homer tries to vote for Obama Family Guy: Undecided Voters

26. Testing in Schools Standardized Testing - The Simpsons

27. When analyzing, consider: • RHETORICAL TRIANGLE: TONE • sarcasm, didactic, burlesque, ironic • RHETORICAL TRIANGLE: AUDIENCE • Humanity in general • A stereotyped group of people OR the people doing the stereotyping • A particular person • RHETORICAL TRIANGLE: SUBJECT

28. Some Tools of the Satirist • Middle Ground • Hyperbole - A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles sometimes have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Hyperbole often produces irony at the same time. • Understatement – The ironic minimizing of fact, understatement presents something as less significant than it is. The effect can frequently be humorous and emphatic. Understatement is the opposite of hyperbole. • Irony – The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. Irony is used for many reasons, but frequently, it's used to create poignancy or humor. • Parody - A satiric imitation of a work or of an author with the idea of ridiculing the author, his ideas, or work. The parodist exploits the peculiarities of an author's expression--his propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favorite words, or whatever. It may also be focused on, say, an improbable plot with too many convenient events. • Light and Humorous • Wit - In modern usage, wit is intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights. A witty statement is humorous, while suggesting the speaker's verbal power in creating ingenious and perceptive remarks. Wit usually uses terse language that makes a pointed statement. • Horatian Satire - is gentle, urbane, smiling; it aims to correct with broadly sympathetic laughter. Based on the Roman lyrical poet Horace, its purpose may be "to hold up a mirror" so readers can see themselves and their world honestly. The vices and follies satirized are not destructive; however, they reflect the foolishness of people, the superficiality and meaninglessness of their lives, and the barrenness of their values. • Caricature - A representation, especially pictorial or literary, in which the subject's distinctive features or peculiarities are deliberately exaggerated to produce a comic or grotesque effect. Sometimes caricature can be so exaggerated that it becomes a grotesque imitation or misrepresentation. Biting and Harsh Juvenalian Satire - is biting, bitter, and angry; it points out the corruption of human beings and institutions with contempt, using saeva indignation, a savage outrage based on the style of the Roman poet Juvenal. Sometimes perceived as enraged, Juvenalian satire sees the vices and follies in the world as intolerable. Juvenalian satirists use large doses of sarcasm and irony. Invective- Speech or writing that abuses, denounces, or vituperates against. It can be directed against a person, cause, idea, or system. It employs a heavy use of negative emotive language Sarcasm - From the Greek meaning, "to tear flesh," sarcasm involves bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt of ridicule someone or something. It may use irony as a device, but not all ironic statements are sarcastic. When well done, sarcasm can be witty and insightful; when poorly done, it's simply cruel.