By Mrs. Sheble and Mrs. Davis

Satire

Warm-up

What is your favorite satirical movie/ television show/ skit/ song?

(Hint: a satire ridicules or criticizes humanity or society)

What aspects does this satire seem to target?

Satire

A literary work that ridicules humanity through humor and other techniques to criticize/comment on some aspect of society

Exaggeration

To enlarge, increase, or represent something beyond normal bounds so that it becomes ridiculous and its faults can be seen

Example: Scary Movie exaggerates techniques used in horror films to scare audiences.

Incongruity

To present things that are out of place or are absurd in relation to its surroundings.

Example: A toaster as a time machine in parody of Simpson’s “Sound of Thunder”; Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

OR

Reversal/Irony

To present the opposite of the normal order (can be situational or verbal irony)– sarcasm

Example: On Family Guy, Stewie acts like an adult.

Parody

To imitate the techniques and/or style of some person, place, or thing

Example: Weird Al Yankovic songs, Epic Movie, Scary Movie, Date Movie, The Simpsons

Other devices found in satire

Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic)HyperboleStock characters/ Archetypal HumorSarcasm

Origins of Satire

Juvenalian - Taking its name from the writer Juvenal, Juvenalian satire typically is a harsh attack on its target.

Horatian - Taking its name from the Roman writer Horace, Horatian satire is identified by its tendency to make the observer or reader laugh. It is marked with wit and is not always a direct attack on its target