Satire In Depth

Attack/Aggression

Satire uses indirect, ironic attack rather than direct ridicule; its aggression can cause readers to misunderstand or reject it.

Judgment

The satirist has already judged someone/something as flawed based on ideology, ethics, or morality before writing.

Play (Wit)

Creative, sharp, humorous wordplay; combines aggression with clever language and imagery.

Laughter (Humor)

Satire may use irony, parody, or wordplay to provoke laughter, but often prioritizes serious purpose over jokes.

Desire to Instigate Reform (Intent)

Satire seeks to fix societal problems; sarcasm becomes satire only when the speaker aims for reform.

Horatian Satire

Light, gentle satire that mocks human follies with tolerance and amusement, aiming for a wry smile.

Juvenalian Satire

Harsh, dark satire that attacks vice with contempt and indignation; more realistic and bitter.

Parody

Imitation of a style or work used for comic effect, often to expose flaws or current issues.

Exaggeration

Enlarging or overstating something to reveal faults and make it ridiculous.

Irony

Saying one thing while meaning another.

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration used to make something sound ridiculous ('I could eat a horse').

Incongruity

Presenting things that are out of place or absurd.

Reversal

Presenting the opposite of the normal order (events, roles, hierarchy).

Sarcasm

Using the opposite of the intended meaning to mock or ridicule.

Juxtaposition

Placing things side by side for contrast (e.g., Britney Spears vs. Mother Teresa).

Double Entendre (Pun)

A phrase with two meanings, often one risqué or humorous.

Understatement

Making something seem less important than it is for effect.

Invective

Harsh, abusive language directed at a person or cause.

Target

The person, group, institution, or idea being criticized through satire.

Antithesis

Strongly contrasting ideas placed together for effect.

Caricature

Exaggeration of a character's features or traits for comic or critical effect.

Vice

An immoral or evil habit, behavior, or practice.

Optimist

Likes people, but thinks they are rather blind and foolish

Pessimist

Loves individuals, hates mankind

Farce

a type of comedy or a real-life situation characterized by ridiculous, exaggerated, and improbable circumstances designed to evoke laughter

low comedy

type of comedy that is a form of popular entertainment without any primary purpose other than to create laughter through boasting, boisterous jokes, drunkenness, scolding, fighting, buffoonery and other riotous activity. It is characterized by "horseplay", slapstick or farce.

grotesque

a form of satire that uses distorted, exaggerated, or bizarre imagery and situations to shock and critique society, often combining the normal with the strange to create an unsettling effect

black humor

Black humor (or black comedy/dark humor) is a form of comedy and satire that treats tragic, disturbing, or taboo subjects—such as death, violence, war, disease, or human suffering—with bitter amusement and often a sense of the absurd.

Burlesque

vulgar; a literary or dramatic work that uses ridiculous exaggeration and a disparity between style and subject matter to mock a subject

Mock-heroic

grand diction, lofty style; The core of the humor and critique comes from the stark contrast between the elevated, grandiose language and form of an epic and the insignificance of the subject matter.