Reflecting the Absurd: A Satirical Showcase

1. 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)

2. Example

3. 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

4. The necessary ingredients • Satire requires THREE ingredients to be successful: • Humor • A target • A moral voice

5. 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

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Example

9. Example: • Adobe satire • New iphone satire

10. 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)

11. Two Types of Satirists Optimist 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

12. Two Types of Satirists Pessimist Loves individuals, hates mankind Aim is to wound, to punish, to destroy Juvenalian satire The Onion

13. Types of Satire Horatian: gentle, sympathetic form of satire. Mildly mocks the subject. The audience is asked to laugh at themselves as much as the players.

14. Types of Satire Juvenalian/ juvenille: harsh and bitter satire

15. 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

16. Forms of Satire Caricature, Exaggeration: Distortion for emphasis Usually focuses on powerful subjects Emphasize physical characteristics in order to make deeper criticism

17. 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”

18. 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.

19. Original “Essay” #5: Satire> Due 2/18 • 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 • Create your own example of satire (visual or written) (that is school appropriate) that is about a product