Satire

Satire is a special kind of art used in books, plays, movies, and online. It points out silly or bad things people do and makes fun of them to show how wrong they are. The goal is to help people see problems in the world or in how people act, as well as to make them laugh.

People who create satire often use clever tricks like pretending to agree with something bad to show how silly it is. They might also exaggerate things or compare them in funny ways. These tricks help make their message clear and interesting.

Satire can be found everywhere, from old stories and famous plays to modern songs, movies, and funny pictures shared on the internet. It helps us think about important issues in a way that is both fun and interesting.

Etymology and roots

The word satire comes from the Latin word satur and the phrase lanx satura. Satur means "full", and lanx satura means "a full dish of various kinds of fruits". Over time, the meaning of satire changed.

Some people thought the word might come from the Greek mythological figure of the satyr, but this is not correct. In the 17th century, a scholar named Isaac Casaubon showed that satire’s true origin is from the Latin word satura, not from satyrs.

Humour

Satire can make people laugh and also helps them think. Good satire leaves you with something to think about the world. Some satire is serious and thoughtful. Not all funny jokes about topics like politics or art are satire.

Satire often starts with laughter but leaves a deeper message. For example, the organizers of the Ig Nobel Prize say their goal is to “first make people laugh, and then make them think.”

Social and psychological functions

Satire and irony help us see how societies work and what people care about. They show us what a group thinks and feels, and how power is arranged. Some writers say satire is better than studying history or anthropology for learning about a society. For example, in ancient Greece, the philosopher Plato said to look at the plays of Aristophanes to understand Athenian society.

Satire has often made fun of important leaders in politics, business, religion, and other powerful areas. It questions what people believe and speaks up to those in charge, asking leaders to explain or change their actions. Satire points out problems but doesn’t always solve them. It has often been allowed to laugh at powerful people and groups, helping to calm tensions in society. For example, ritual clowns say things people usually hold back, which helps keep balance in the community.

The amount of political satire in a society shows how free that society is. In places with strict control, like the Soviet Union, open satire of the government was not allowed. Instead, people told jokes about leaders like Brezhnev. Even in such places, satire found quiet ways to express itself.

Classifications

Satire is a type of art and writing that makes fun of problems, mistakes, and silly ideas in society. You can find it in books, plays, and art. The goal is to point out these issues in a funny way so people notice them better.

Satirical writing can be grouped in different ways. One way is by how harsh the jokes are. Some satire is gentle and playful, making fun of silly ideas without being mean. This kind is named after the writer Horace. Another type is more serious and strict, named after Juvenal. This kind of satire criticizes powerful people or bad ideas. There is also a mix called Menippean satire, which blends serious topics with funny stories.

Satire can also be grouped by what it makes fun of, like politics, beliefs, or everyday life. It can appear in many forms, not just writing—like in music, art, and comedy performances.

Development

Ancient Egypt

One of the earliest examples of satire is found in Egyptian writing from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The text, called The Satire of the Trades, was aimed at students who were tired of studying. It argued that being a scribe was useful and better than being an ordinary person.

The Papyrus Anastasi I, from the late 2nd millennium BC, contains a letter that first praises its recipient but then makes fun of the reader’s limited knowledge.

Ancient Greece

The Greeks did not have a specific word for satire, though they used terms like cynicism and parody. Modern critics consider the Greek playwright Aristophanes one of the earliest known satirists. His plays often criticized political and societal issues. Aristophanes faced persecution for his work.

The oldest form of satire still in use today is Menippean satire, created by Menippus of Gadara. His writings are lost, but his followers mixed serious and humorous elements in their dialogues.

Ancient China

Satire in China, known as fengci, dates back to Confucius. It meant criticizing through poetry. The Daoist text Zhuangzi was the first to define this concept. However, during the Qin and Han dynasties, heavy persecution led to the decline of this form of satire.

Roman world

The Roman writer Quintilian was the first to discuss satire critically. The most influential Roman satirists were Horace and Juvenal, who wrote during the early days of the Roman Empire. Their satire was broader than today’s definition, often including colorful writing. When Horace criticized Augustus, he used subtle language. In contrast, the poet Hipponax wrote harsh satires.

In the 2nd century AD, Lucian wrote True History, a book that made fun of unrealistic travel stories.

Medieval Islamic world

Medieval Arabic poetry included a satirical genre called hija. Satire was introduced into Arabic prose literature by Al-Jahiz in the 9th century. In the 10th century, writer Tha’alibi recorded satirical poetry by Arabic poets. Arabic political satire included poems mocking others.

The terms “comedy” and “satire” became linked after Aristotle’s Poetics was translated into Arabic. Islamic writers like Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes elaborated on these ideas. Ubayd Zakani introduced satire into Persian literature in the 14th century.

Medieval Europe

In the Early Middle Ages, satirical songs were popular. With the High Middle Ages and the rise of vernacular literature, satire reappeared, notably in the works of Chaucer. Moral satire, which mocked bad behavior, was common. The story Reynard the Fox became a popular work satirizing the class system.

Early modern western satire

Satire returned in the 16th century with writers like François Rabelais. Major satirists of the Renaissance included Giovanni Boccaccio and François Rabelais. Other examples include Till Eulenspiegel, Reynard the Fox, Sebastian Brant’s Narrenschiff, Erasmus’s Moriae Encomium, Thomas More’s Utopia, and Carajicomedia.

Elizabethan writers saw satire as rough. The French scholar Isaac Casaubon helped revive the more civilized style of Roman satire.

Satirical almanacs also emerged, with François Rabelais’s Pantagrueline Prognostication mocking astrological predictions.

Ancient and modern India

Satire has been important in Indian and Hindi literature. It grew with the printing of books in local languages and after India’s independence. Works by Tulsi Das, Kabir, Munshi Premchand, and others often used satire.

Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment led to a revival of satire in Britain. This was driven by partisan politics and the Scriblerus Club, which included satirists like Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, and John Gay. Jonathan Swift used sharp humor to criticize society. John Dryden wrote influential essays on satire, and Alexander Pope’s works gently mocked society.

Daniel Defoe used satire in works to advocate for religious toleration. William Hogarth’s pictorial satire influenced the development of political cartoons, and James Gillray became a leading cartoonist of the era.

Ebenezer Cooke and Benjamin Franklin used satire in Colonial America.

Satire in Victorian England

Satirical papers like Punch and Fun were popular. The Savoy Operas by Gilbert and Sullivan are examples of Victorian satire. Novelists like Charles Dickens often included satirical passages.

20th-century satire

Satire was used by writers to comment on social changes. In the United States, satirists used satire as a weapon. Sinclair Lewis’s novels satirized American values, and Charlie Chaplin’s film The Great Dictator parodied Adolf Hitler.

Soviet satire was popular. In the 1950s, satire entered American stand-up comedy. The original National Lampoon magazine became popular.

The UK saw a satire boom in the early 1960s. Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 satirized bureaucracy and the military. Director Jerry Lewis used satire in films. The film Dr. Strangelove starred Peter Sellers and was a satire on the Cold War. The comedy troupe Monty Python created Monty Python’s Life of Brian.

Contemporary satire

Contemporary satire is often imprecise in its usage. Satire appears in many UK television programs. The puppet show Spitting Image was a satire of British culture.

Satire features prominently in the British video game series Grand Theft Auto. The Fallout series also uses satire.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s South Park relies heavily on satire to address issues in American culture.

Satirical web series and sites include Honest Trailers, Encyclopedia Dramatica, Uncyclopedia, The Onion, and The Babylon Bee.

In the United States, Stephen Colbert’s television program The Colbert Report and sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live are known for their satirical impressions.

In the United Kingdom, Terry Pratchett was a popular modern satirist with his Discworld series.

In Canada, satire is part of the comedy scene. Stephen Leacock was an early Canadian satirist.

In Hong Kong, impersonator Howard X used satire to support movements.

Cartoonists use satire in their comic strips to comment on political and social issues.

Animated series like The Simpsons and South Park use parody and satire to criticize various aspects of society.

News satire is popular in various media formats.

Satire is also recognized for its value in social science research.

Techniques

Satire in stories often uses ideas and styles from older works. Two common ways to use satire are by making things seem bigger than they really are (exaggeration) or smaller and less important than they seem (diminution).

Legal status

Satire often gets special permission in many places to make fun of important people and groups. In countries like Japan, and Italy, laws protect satire as part of free expression.

Because satire is a form of art, it has more protection than regular news reporting. Some countries even have a special "right to satire" that goes beyond the right to share news or criticism. Satire is protected not just under freedom of speech, but also as part of culture and creative work.

Australia

Main article: The Juice Media § Controversy

In 2017, a group called The Juice Media got a request to stop using a funny logo that looked like the Australian Coat of Arms after some people complained. Soon after, a plan was introduced in the Australian parliament to change laws that could lead to prison time for certain satire. As of 2018, this plan was still being discussed in the Australian Senate.

Censorship and criticism

Satire can be tricky because it uses irony and sarcasm. Some people might think a satirist really supports the ideas they are making fun of. For example, when Jonathan Swift wrote A Modest Proposal, many readers thought he was seriously suggesting eating children, which was not his real idea.

Sometimes people feel that satire is in bad taste, especially after big events. Satire can also make people upset if they think they are being targeted unfairly.

Throughout history, some powerful people have tried to stop satire because they felt attacked. For example, in 1599, leaders in England banned some books that used satire. Even today, satire can cause controversy and sometimes leads to legal problems or protests.

Satirical prophecy

Sometimes, jokes made in satire can predict real events that happen later.

In 1784, Benjamin Franklin suggested that people in Paris could save candles by waking up earlier with the morning sun. This idea is similar to daylight saving time, which was proposed much later in 1907.

In the 1920s, an English cartoonist drew a funny picture of a tall building just for cars. At the time, this seemed silly. Later, such buildings called multi-story car parks became common.

The TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus made a funny sketch in 1969 about a group of people who act like animals. This is similar to some parts of today’s furry fandom.

The movie Americathon from 1979 made funny guesses about the future. Many of these guesses happened later.

In 2001, The Onion made a joke article saying the new president would start expensive wars, cut taxes, and cause a recession. Some of these things did happen later.

Saturday Night Live once made a funny ad for a special razor. Years later, companies really made razors just like that.

After a big agreement about nuclear weapons in 2015, The Onion jokingly said that the United States would send special weapons to a leader who was upset. The next day, news reports said this actually happened.

The Simpsons and movies like Back to the Future Part II have also made funny jokes about political leaders long before they became famous.

The book Infinite Jest from 1996 described a made-up president who wanted to build a wall between the United States and Canada. This seemed very funny at the time, but later, similar ideas were talked about seriously.