SATIRE

Satire is a literary device and a genre that exposes human nature to ridicule and contempt. It may be used to carry out political scorn with humorous undertones, or even undermine generally serious topics with absurdity. In literature, satire is achieved via the use of irony, comedy, and exaggeration.

Satire lets literature explore depths of social, political, and economical topics obscurely, making ideas and opinions much more amusing by leaving them up to interpretation. It is not confined to comedy or humoring dark concepts, but rather letting people form their own opinions on the reality they're used to believing is normality.

Satire vs parody

Satire is often confused with parody because of the closely related implications the two have. Humour (especially irony and exaggeration) is used in satire to show faults in human behavior. Almost everyone who writes a satirical narrative does so to mock people's folly or vices. On the other hand, a parody is any work that imitates a well-known style (of an artist, genre, or work) to elicit laughter. Like satire, parody employs exaggeration to attack its subject, but its primary objective is to amuse by copying something that others recognize.

Parody is best thought of as a stepping stone to satire, or a lightweight version of it. Whereas satire focuses on the broad picture, satirizing deeper themes outside its chosen literary form, a parody can, in many cases, be a superficial imitation with little long-term influence. Many satirists through the years have given their vast commentary on the way of the world, sometimes harsh, with their perception of our society, our beliefs, and the way we’ve been consumed by life.

Types of Satire

Satire is, however, rather vast and can have its own here are three major types of satire, as given below:

Horatian satire is often light-hearted, with engaging wit, to elicit laughter and promote moral betterment. The audience is expected to laugh at themselves as much as the protagonists in this type of satire.

An example of Horatian Satire would be 'Gulliver's Travel,' written by Jonathon Swift. Gulliver's Travels is an excellent example of Horatian satire, in which the everyman Gulliver is thrust into progressively bizarre settings while attempting to explain his civilization in a favorable light.

On the other hand, Juvenalian satire is harsher and more dismal, expressing rage and outrage at the condition of the world. The actions of their characters are considered wicked by Juvenalian satirists, not just foolish or absurd. As a result, their comedy is more sardonic and satirical than traditional. This type of satire is more judgmental, requiring the viewer to react with outrage to the events/people depicted.

A book that encloses Juvenalian satire is Fahrenheit 451, in which the author- Ray Bradbury- uses intricate symbolism to reveal social concerns. The protagonist, Guy Montag, is a firefighter in the novel who is entrusted with burning books that have been outlawed due to the premise that divergent beliefs split society. Bradbury uses Juvenalian satire to criticize censorship in a period when censorship was uncontrolled.

Menippean satire is designated for literary works that retain the original connotation of satire as a miscellany or feature a large number of characters. Menippean satire focuses on mental attitudes and perspectives rather than specific people. It tends to combine genres, collapse classifications, and mock everything. Its precise target might be difficult to pinpoint because it generally attacks everything.

Amongst most authors, George Orwell’s works on satire stand out because of his willingness to mock our regime. In his book 1984, he builds a dystopian world controlled by big brother, a figure that people follow almost religiously. Without any room for suspicion or revolt, the protagonist slips into a life cycle defined for him, eventually giving into the system.

Hereafter, satire is a beneficial tool used by authors who seek reform in public behavior, a rise in audience standards, or just a wake-up call in a defective culture.

(Originally published on ScriveTribe)