Satire Terms

Satire & Satiri

cal Techniques & Devi

ces

Satire--sarcasm, irony or wit used to ridicule or mock

Satiri

cal Styles:

1. D i r e c t S a t i r e is directly stated

2. I n d i r e c t S a t i r e is communicated through characters in a situation

Types of Satire:

1. H o r a t i a n-- light-hearted, intended for fun

2. J u v e n a l i a n-- bitter, angry attacking

Satiri

cal Techniques--used to make a comment or criticism about a particular subject or

character.

1. 2. In

c

Exaggeration: To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so

that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen.

a.

C a r i

c a t u r e is the exaggeration of a physical feature or trait. Cartoons, especially

political cartoons, provide extensive examples of caricature.

b. B u r l e s q u e is the ridiculous exaggeration of language. For example, when a

character who should use formal, intelligent language speaks like a fool or a

character who is uneducated uses highly sophisticated language.

ongruity: To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its

surroundings. Particular techniques include oxymoron, metaphor, and irony.

a. Irony: the actual intent is expressed in words which carry the opposite meaning.

It is lighter, less harsh in wording than sarcasm, though more cutting because of

its indirectness. The ability to recognize irony is one of the surest tests of

intelligence and sophistication. Irony speaks words of praise to imply blame and

words of blame to imply praise. Writer is using a tongue-in-cheek style. Irony is

achieved through such techniques as hyperbole and understatement.

i. Ver

b

al Irony-- simply an inversion of meaning.

ii. Dramati

c Irony-- when the words or acts of a character carry a meaning

unperceived by himself but understood by the audience. The irony

resides in the contrast between the meaning intended by the speaker and

the added significance seen by others.

iii. So

c

crati

irony-- Socrates pretended ignorance of a subject in order to

draw knowledge out of his students by a question and answer device.

Socratic irony is feigning ignorance to achieve some advantage over an

opponent.

iv. Situational irony-- depends on a discrepancy between purpose and

results (ex. A practical joke that backfires).

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Parody: To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing in order

to ridicule the original. For parody to be successful, the reader/watcher must know the

original text that is being ridiculed. Parody is in literature what the caricature and

cartoon are in art. (Travesty and burlesque are similar, but travesty always makes a

mockery of a serious subject and burlesque and parody do the opposite).

a. : Presents a serious (often religious) subject frivolously, reducing everything to

its lowest level.

“Trans”

= over, across “Vestire”

= to clothe or dress; presenting a

subject in a dress intended for another type of subject.

Reversal: to present the opposite of the normal order. Reversal can focus on the order or

events, such as serving dessert before the main dish or having breakfast for dinner.

Additionally, reversal can focus on hierarchical order--for instance, when a young child

makes all the decisions for a family or when an administrative assistant dictates what

the company president decides and does.

Farce: inciting laughter through exaggerated, improbable situations; usually contains

low comedy: quarreling, fighting, coarse with, horseplay, noisy singing, boisterous

conduct, trickery, clownishness, drunkenness, slap-stick.

Invective: harsh, abusive language directed against one person or cause. Invective is a

vehicle, a tool of anger. Invective is the bitterest of all satire.

Sarcasm: a sharply mocking or contemptuous remark. The term came from the Greek

word “sarkazein”

which means “to tear flesh.

”

Knaves and Fools: in comedy there are no villains and no innocent victims. Instead,

there are rogues (knaves) and suckers (fools). The knave exploits someone “asking for it”

Malapropism-- a deliberate mispronunciation of a name or term with the intent of

poking fun.