Satire techniques: what are they?

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Satire is a form of social criticism that often uses humor, sometimes very biting humor, to make its point more palatable. The various techniques of satire involve different combinations of these two elements, humor and criticism. Some forms of satire use gentle forms of humor to poke fun at human folly; social commentary is indirect and often subtle. Other satire techniques can be more direct, accusing specific people or social bodies of corruption and evil through very dark humor. Another form of satire, parody, pokes fun at popular entertainment to point out larger cultural weaknesses.

Ancient format, satire has been used for centuries by artists and writers, who have always had a tendency towards social commentary. The use of art and humor to deliver this commentary has often protected satirists, especially in regimes where more direct social criticism would not be tolerated. The two main techniques of satire are named after Horace and Juvenal, Roman satirists of the 1st century AD. Horace’s satire is the gentler form, sometimes offering sympathetic portrayals of his targets while emphasizing their human failings. Juvenile satire attacks its targets directly and often angrily; both forms are alive and well in the 1st century.

These ancient satire techniques enjoyed a revival in the 14th century. Dante’s literary masterpiece Inferno offered disguised social commentary as the poet encountered many contemporary religious and political figures on his journey through Hell. Boccacio’s Decameron and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, later in the same century, both poked fun at the social events of the time, especially the corrupt clergy. In the 16th century, the French writer François Rabelais honed these satire techniques in his novels Pantagruel and Gargantua. Rabelais’ books poked fun at society while telling funny stories and included bawdy humor, all of which are also common features of modern satire.

Irish writer Jonathan Swift loved both Horace’s and Juvenal’s techniques of satire. An example of the former is his classic Gulliver’s Travels, in which a castaway encounters societies that deftly reflect the social conventions of his time. Swift’s classic early satire is the infamous essay “A Modest Proposal,” written when Britain’s ruling elites were ignorant of the conditions of poverty and famine in Ireland. Swift wryly suggested that the Irish could solve these problems by selling their children to the British for food. The outrage this essay aroused focused public attention on the Irish situation, thus achieving Swift’s goal.

Many modern works use these classic satire techniques. The Simpsons, Futurama, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy are all examples of Horatian satire. South Park, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are much more direct and youthful. Mad Magazine and Saturday Night Live feature both pop culture parodies and straight social commentary. Comics Pogo and Doonesbury used the caricature to poke fun at political figures; editorial comics in general have a long tradition in this sense. Fortunately, satire is protected by the US First Amendment and similar laws in other countries that guarantee free speech.

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