Category: Satire

  • Satire About Society in “Rape of the Lock” by Alexander Pope

    “Rape of the Lock” is Alexander Pope’s mock-heroic narrative poem written in 1717. In it, the author describes the life of aristocrats in London of the 18th century. At the same time, the poem may be regarded as a powerful social satire that aims to represent all weaknesses and negative traits of that society, such…

  • The Victorian Age Through the Prism of Satire

    The Importance of Being Earnest belongs to Oscar Wilde’s famous high-society comedies. The author, breaking the canons of entertainment theater, brings to the stage a satirical mockery of the mores of his contemporary bourgeois society and invites the audience to laugh at the surrounding reality. Wilde, a lover of passage and paradox, refused to take…

  • Francois Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism”: Analysis of Satire

    In the scope of classical literature, the writings of Francois Voltaire occupy a prominent position. Voltaire’s renowned shrewd outlook and sober judgment found reflection in his famous satire Candide, or Optimism – a book which, met with a scandal immediately after publication, has enjoyed great popularity for centuries due to the vital and burning problems…

  • Gulliver’s Travels Satire Examples & Critical Analysis

    Table of Contents Gulliver’s Travels Satire Examples: Introduction Examples of Satire in Gulliver’s Travels: Analysis Gulliver’s Travels Satire Examples: Conclusion Works Cited Gulliver’s Travels Satire Examples: Introduction Gulliver’s Travels tells the story of Lemuel Gulliver. He tours different parts of the world after the failure of his business. He first goes to Lilliput, where he…

  • What Lies Beyond the Horizon: Satire in Novels

    Reading Between the Lines: The True Meaning of the Story George Saunders: Marriages. Winning Your Lottery In his extremely satiric essay Saunders asks a simple question – why not marrying someone with an even weaker will and becoming what can be called a “normal family” (Saunders)? The author claims that from this day on, he…

  • Jonathan Swift’s Hidden Satire in Gulliver’s Travels

    Introduction Many scholars agree that Gulliver’s Travels was written as a bitter satire designed to parody the human race, with particular emphasis to England and Europe. However, despite this, the satirical significance of this book has over time diminished with its secondary meaning, as a children’s book emerging as the most common interpretation. The situation…

  • Francois Voltaire’s “Candide, or Optimism”: Analysis of Satire

    In the scope of classical literature, the writings of Francois Voltaire occupy a prominent position. Voltaire’s renowned shrewd outlook and sober judgment found reflection in his famous satire Candide, or Optimism – a book which, met with a scandal immediately after publication, has enjoyed great popularity for centuries due to the vital and burning problems…

  • A Modest Proposal: Jonathan Swift’s Political Satire

    Table of Contents Introduction Establishment of Concern When Children Can Begin Helping the Family Plea for Alternative Solutions Call to Action Solution Works Cited Introduction Jonathan Swift’s political satire, A Modest Proposal, introduces an extreme and appalling plan for reducing the financial burden Irish children had upon their poor families and society as a whole.…

  • Difficulty of Satire Overview

    Satire can be summarised as a literary technique that employs humor, exaggeration, and irony to expose and scrutinize issues within current society. It can be present in texts that criticize components of political, social, philosophical, or even everyday life. Satire is extremely powerful, though not in an obvious way. It exists to discomfort those that…

  • Mark Twain’s Satire in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    In his work, Mark Twain extensively used satire, which is defined as the intentional humorous exaggeration and irony, mostly aimed at exposing people’s stupidity and failings. In the books, stories, and essays, Twain sought to shed light on the stupidity and hypocrisy of people around him, specifically to ridicule the close-mindedness of small towns, the…