Types of Satire

A writer has several types of satire at his/her disposal. The choice of satirical weapon will depend on the type of writing.

In literature, the writer has a choice between three types of satire. These are Horatian satire, Juvenalian satire, and Menippean satire.

• Horatian satire. This type of satire is named after the Roman satirist Horatian. It seeks to criticize, rather than attack, vice or folly. Some methods of satire include sarcasm, wit, and exaggeration. In general, Horatian satire is gentler, better humoured and sympathetic, somewhat tolerant of human folly. Horatian satire tends to ridicule human folly in general or by type rather than attack specific persons. It tends to produce a wry smile.
• Juvenalian Satire. This type of satire is named after the Roman satirist Juvenal. It is harsher than Horatian satire. It often attacks and shows contempt for people. It often seeks to address some evil in society through scorn and ridicule. While laughter and ridicule are still weapons of Horatian satire, the Juvenalian satirist isn’t afraid to use invective to make a point. Many popular books are based on Juvenalian satire, including Clock Work Orange, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, and Animal Farm.
• Menippean Satire. This type of satire was named for the cynic Menippus. It is the oldest type of satire. It is a complex, chaotic, often formless, type of satire. It tends to criticize the subject matter and structure of the world. It is satire that criticizes everything in a fragmented way. It is satire that has many targets.  Dialogue is central to this type of satire. It tends to deal with mental attitudes, like the stereotypes of “the miser”, “the seducer”, “the bigot”, and “the quack.”  It is satire of prose. It views human folly and evil as a social disease. Literary scholar Northrop Frye attempted to classify Gulliver’s Travels as Menippean satire.

 

 

Political Satire

Molly Ivins, a popular American newspaper columnist, once wrote the following:”Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful.” With the dawn of the New Media, citizen journalists can use political satire as a powerful weapon to make the public aware of unscrupulous behaviour and to inspire social and political change.

Political Satire is a subgenre of satire. It is intended to get laughs by mocking or ridiculing politics, politicians, and political affairs. It is also used as a form of political and social commentary. For instance, comedian Robin Williams once said, “People say that satire is dead. It’s not dead; It’s alive and living in the White House. “Almost all daily newspapers include satirical political cartoons in their editorial section. The intention of these cartoons is to mock or ridicule, often my means of exaggeration, politicians and political topics or issues in the news. Popular TV personality, Stephen Colbert, has written bestselling political satire book “I Am American.” Political satire is everywhere.

Next, I will identify some of the popular methods for writing satire.