Literary form- Satire

SATIRE

Satire is genre that sets out to improve bad behavior through sarcasm and irony. It is all about making fun of vice, foolishness and short comings, So that subject can be

improved.

DICTIONARY MEANING:                                                                                                         A way of criticizing a person or idea or institution in which you use humor to show their faults or weakness. A piece of writing that uses this type of criticism is satire. The aim of criticism/ satire writing is to correct the malpractice by inspiring both indignation and laughter with a combination of criticism and wit. 

TYPES OF SATIRE;

There are 2 types of satire.

1. Horatian satire:  Horatian  satire is gentle and self-deprecating type of satire, humor to make fun of general foolishness of mild style.

2. Juvenalian satire: This type of satire contains lot of harshness and is not lot of funny. e.g.: modest proposal.

SORT OF WEAPON USED BY SATIRIST -

1. Invective

2. Irony

3. Ability to amuse and entertain readers

• Invective:                                                                                                                                       It is a simplest weapon used by a satirist. It is defined as  'a violent attack by in words.' At the time of its use it should be controlled by good taste and the law of level, it is the most direct weapon. It is illustrated by an angry motorist after a small accident or between excited supporters of football matches.

• Irony:                                                                                                                                             It is less direct but not less effective. It is difficult to define irony exactly but according to dictionary- the expression of one's meaning by language of opposite or different tendency,  especially by the adoption of another's views or tone.' In ordinary conversation irony is expressed by the tone of voice; She is a fine example of faithful women- can be spoken stressing 'she's', and 'fine', it express exactly opposite of what it seems.

• Ability to amuse and entertain readers:                                                                                   The most important of all weapons is his ability to amuse and entertain the reader. Without the satire becomes merely tedious and bad tempered. The best examples is Gulliver's travel (1726), which  can be easily read as a story without realizing the author's satirical intention at all.

Utopia:
The utopia first written in Latin, describes an ideal state with freedom of religion, equality, for men and women, a universal system of education and common ownership of property. It is not usual however for the imaginary world of the satirist to be a utopia; it is much more likely to be what i have called; 'negative utopia' not a picture of how good the world might be. but the warning how bad it might happen.

The best example of a satirist's negative utopia is Erewhon by Samuel Butler. Erewhon is probably a failure, It is too long and too confusing to hold the reader's interest. It is full of clever and amusing ideas, many of which apply to England of 1972. The Erewhonians has for example some interesting ideas about machines, about crime and punishment and about education and religion.

1. Revolt against the machine-
   People had found themselves more and more in power of machine of all kinds, and the machine had started to develop minds and wills of their own. The modern reader will immediately think of computers, motor cars and mechanical hearts. In the end there will be revolution and will be a general destruction of all kinds of machinery. This is recorded in the book of Erewhonians 'The book of the machines.'

2. Attitude to crime-
    It was treated exactly as it were a form of sickness. If a man stole money from his neighbor or made a cruel attack on innocent, he would be sent to the bed and treated with great kindness. Friends would visit hi wit flowers and the news would go around that Mr.X is suffering from a attack of stealing or assault. But if anyone is a caught by cough, flu, or influenza he might be treated a a criminal; his family will be ashamed and his friends will avoid him. Butler's visit to Erewhonian law courts; the young man was sentenced life imprisonment for a great crime of laboring and hard work. Similarly, same punishment to a man who left his wife whom he loved deeply. He described these strange attitude towards crime an sickness; if as seems probable who wanted to suggest that treatment of 19th century England was too soft.

3. Education-
   Butler's time whole education based on the study of Greek - Latin literature, which languages are completely dead but it is learned with the thought to train the mind. and to be good preparation for life. In Erewhon the whole education was based on what was called Hypothetical language, a language which was never actually used but which everyone who expected good job hoped to know.

4. Religion-
    The Erewhon musical bands, which Butler described in some detail, were  caricatures of English churches. They were large and splendid buildings where business was done to a musical accompaniment, All Erewhonians liked to be seen visiting a bank once or twice a week but the money they kept there as quite different from the money used in a ordinary life.

• R. J. Rees feels importance of satire depends largely on what is being satirized. Satire is one kind of literature which can exist with-out moral purpose. Anger seems to be an ingredient of satire but it alone however is enough to make a good satire, as love is not enough to make a good love poem.

• Satirist and topics they satirised:

Satirist	Their  topic
Chaucer	Lack of morality in church
Shakespeare	On lechery, lust, brutality, greed etc
Dickens	Criticises the social injustices of his time
John Dryden	Attacks on political leaders and politicians
Swift	General hatred of mankind
Alexander Pope	Attacks individualism of no particular importance and giving undeserved importance who are being forgotten
Peacock	Attacked on foolishness of mankind
Huxley and Orwell	Attacked whole of what is western civilisation

Chaucer:
He was a best example of Juvenal satire. He was too gentle and humane a man to be a great satirist. In general he loved the world and his fellow human beings and found no reason to attack them and being government himself he had no reason to attack them either. He hated the lack of morality in the church and did attack it. Not bitterly or savagely but simply by laughing.
The Prologue to Canterbury- It introduced less than 7 characters of the church: one the poor country parson, it is truly good and spiritual. The rest we worldly prioress and the monk or the criminal, the summoner and the pardoner. He does not invite us to hate them but to laugh at them. It is described on a good tempered way.

Shakespeare:
He is not a satirist but his all work had a satirical touch.
Love's Labour's Lost- It is an amusing satire on what is now called the 'sex war': There is much fun at the expense of foolishly affected courtiers, and stupid schoolmasters life Holofernes.
As you like it- Satires various fashionable feature of 1950's. The idea that is clever to be cynical for melancholy is laughed at the characters of Jaques and his imitator touchstone. So it is belief that it is something specially virtuous about what is called 'the simple life.' Even the extremes of romantic love are shown ridiculous.
Troilus and Cressida- It is a bitter attack on the wickedness of human nature. Almost every character in play is wicked or weak, greedy, brutality and sexual lust or lechery seem to fill the world.

Dickens:
He is not a satirist but used his influence as a novelist to attack and criticize the social injustice of his time; poverty, education, inefficiency in government and law, shocking inequalities of wealth and so on.
Bleak house- It is a never ending law case between Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which drags year after year after most people concerned to it died or financially ruined. the terrible slowness in the work of England has the subject of most of the satire.
Little Dorril- It is an amusing attack on the well known slowness of government officials in his description of circumlocution office. Much of his novel is set against the back ground of the Marshalsea debt's prison, in which Dickens father has spent sometime.

• There are six great English satirist two of them are poet and four of them are prose writers or novelists. This six might be called primary satirist.

John Dryden

Alexander Pope

Jonathan Swift

Thomas Love Peacock

Alduos Huxley

George Orwell 

John Dryden:

He is the writer of restoration age. He was a dramatist, almost productive of all English writers and successful is almost every field of literature. He welcomed restoration of King Charles in 1660 with a poem Astraea Redux. He can be known as poet journalist- an unusual writer in the history of English literature. His Annus Mirabilis is brilliant account in verse which included the series of naval battles against the Dutch.

Absalom and Achitophel- It is most important of Dryden's satire appeared in 1681. His most of the work is very difficult to understand by the reader who is ignorant to the historical events, it describes the names of people from the bible. Lord Shaftesbury ( Achitophel) was trying to persuade parliament, against the wish of Charles, to prevent the Duke of York from succeeding to the next king would be illegitimate son of king Duke of Manmouth (Absalom). Purpose of this satire was to  persuade the reading public that Shaftesbury and his friends were not to be trusted disguising his character under old testament names he drew parallel between the situation of Charles II and the king of David. Shaftesbury is described as famous piece of invective as leader of those who opposed the king. It was popular with the royalist public that Dryden and Nahum Tate wrote it's second part, published in 2nd year (1682). For modern reader it had none of news like quality which made it so successful when it first appeared. It can be still enjoyed as one of the, most powerful satires in the language. Dryden wrote it when he was 50 and has complete mastery over the verse heroic couplets. This type of verse is perfect medium of satirical wit and invective. His later satires are Mac Fleckone(1682)  and The Medal(1682).

The Hind and The Panther(1687)- It is satirical plus philosophical poem on religion. The Panther being the church of England and The Hind the Roman Catholic Church.

Dryden died in year 1700.

Alexander Pope:
He was 12 years old living with family at Binfield in Windsor Forest. He was suffering from disability which was to make his life one long disease. As a young admirer and imitator of Dryden, Pope wrote heroic coupled with same ease and fluency. He wrote so easily that critic said that his verse had strength and energy of Dryden. R. J. Rees himself found difficult to admire or appreciate Pope's work as he thinks the importance of satire must depend largely upon the importance of what is being satirised. Pope satired individuals but of no particular importance.  

The Duncaid- It is a brilliant attack in epic style on the almost forgotten poet and dramatist, several other writers of even less importance (Colley Cibber).

Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnol and Imitations of Horace are also his Brilliant work bur equally personal in their choice of subjects. Hervey and Lady Wortley Montagu had published an attack on Pope in which refereed with truly aristocratic insolence of his low birth. Therefore he had reasons for the anger and hate which inspired his lines in satires.

The Rape of The Lock- It is true example of light satire, it is amusing and good tempered yet not without an element of serious social criticism. Here, the society we are shown is rich fashionable and idle- was he smart London's society of Pope's time, with the courts and its centre. The hours spend by the heroine 'Belinda' at the dressing table are described in the sort of language used by a Roman poet Vergil to describe a hero preparing for the battle. First she offers the prayer to 'cosmetic powder', assisted by Betty her maid, puts on her make-up. Now here the sense of absence of moral values in society is described nicely, suggested in the equating of puffs powders and billet box with bibles. This is Pope's favourite and most amusing one.He refers to the fate planning the events in the day a fashionable young women and here Belinda's anger when the impudent 'Baran' has cut off the lock of hair gives a tittle of poem. The satire is all cool, witty and detached so that one wishes Pope would be angrier about the trival society.  But only anger is not enough to write a good satire.

In short when we think of Pope as a great satirist we are admiring his literary skills, his mastery rather than his moral purpose.

Jonathan Swift:

Swift was born and educated in Ireland, spent his early life in England. He entered the church and  eventually became the dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. He had a small group of writers in scriblerus club, where they enjoyed satirising other intellectuals of the time and invented an imaginary German scholar Martinus Scriblerus, under whose name some of their work was published. Much he had written about his strange love affairs with the woman known as Stella and Vanessa. His satirical works, prose or in verse are inspired by 'what seems to be a general hatred of mankind'. Swift is probably the greatest of all satirists to have written in English. He was know in his life for his kindness to his friends and his untiring and unselfish work for the sick and poor people of Ireland. His moral indignation was equalled by his wit and inventiveness: He was able to tell the most ridiculous story and make most outrageous jokes while appearing utterly serious.

A Modest Proposal- It was written when he was angered by the failure of English government to help the Irish peasants ho were literally dying of hunger. Its full tittle was "A modest proposal for preventing the children of poor people from being a burden to their parents or country and for making them beneficial for the country." It is an ironical essay in appearance of seriousness, how Irish baby instead to die of hunger, might be killed by butchers and were served to the dinner table. Some people believed that Swift meant what he said.

Gulliver's Travel- Some people believed earlier that it had been really written by Caption Lameul Gulliver and contained true account of adventures. Published in 1726 it contains Gulliver's story of four different voyages. By this piece of irony Swift was himself appreciated. It is one of the most powerful attack made against man's wickedness and stupidity, which is now charming fairy tales for children. The character of Gulliver himself is one of his greatest inventions: a decent, practical, patriotic Englishman of his time yet sometimes stupid, credulous and gullible. Wherever he goes he is always eager to show his devotion to his own country and his willingness to bring benefits of civilisation to other less enlighten peoples. 

In his first voyage to LILLIPUT, the age old argument between Bigendian and littledian parties concerning the proper method of breaking an egg reminds us equally silly party and religious disputes in our own time.  

In his second voyage to BROBDINGNAG, he described with pride the greatness of his fellow Europeans and was deeply shocked when the king taking him up and shocking him gently, said:

"... the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the Earth." 

Gulliver thought more than once that it was his duty to colonise the land he visited.

In third voyage in LAPUTA, the activities of the learned projectors in the academy of Lagado remind us to the doubtful value of much of what passe as science. Among many other leaned man there was one who was working on the plan to improve agriculture by cutting out the labour of ploughing.

In the fourth voyage to HOUYHNHNM, he was surprised at his host's ignorance of the art of war as practised in civilised countries. The  Houyhnhnms were horrified that a creature providing the reason might be capable of enormities, but Gulliver continues,quite unashamed to describe the glorious European. 

The character is self-satisfied, traveller is the key of whole book.Swifts wit was also demonstrated by the proper names in it- Gulliver, Flimnap, Bilgolam, Glumdalclitch, Lorbrulgrud, yahoo etc. Later satirist has been influenced by Swift. But no other writer observed the nastiness of mankind with such disgust, or attacked with such anger. His whole life was a literary battle against wickedness and stupidity. 

Thomas Love Peacock:

He had a happy life during when he became a close friend to Shelley and an acquaintance of many other important writers of the time. The spirit of the satire is more like of Chaucer and than of Swift: He might laugh at or complain of, the foolishness of human being but could never really hate them. Peacock grew in romantic air. There were three things in the romantic view of life which Peacock thought to be absurd.The first, The idea of pantheism, which is belief that god and nature are the same an the poet and thinker should draw their inspiration from nature. The second, exaggerated love of the medieval and the supernatural, leading to the fancies of building. The third of the passion of reforming the work, which was noticed to be more progressive contemporaries. In fairness to the people he satirised he was someways old fashioned and reactionary in his views; he put on disguise of extreme conservatism so that he could easily make fun of the excesses of reformers with whom he was largely in sympathy.

Peacock wrote satire in form of novel, but his novels are very different from what it usually understood by the world. With two exception 1.Maid Marian and 2. The Misfortunes of Elphin. They are descriptions of strange house parties, their tittles begins with the name of the house in question Healong Hall, Crotechet Castle, Nightmare abbey, Gryll Grange and Melincourt. Here is a little story in each the owner of the house invites a party of friends to stay with him and they argue and discuss all through the book, with intervals for eating drinking and love affairs. Peacock's best introduction can be obtained by reading The misfortunes of Elphin. It cannot be described as a satire but chapter on comedy. Nightmare abbey is best of  his satires.

Nightmare Abbey- ' a venerable family mansion in a highly picturesque state of semi-dilapidation' was a home of a old gentleman, Christopher Glowry. Here he lived with his son Scythrop, and the usual large number of domestic servants. By various chances a beautiful but tragic young lady, Miss Celinda Toobad arrives at nightmare abbey running from his cruel father, who had first sent her to study in German Convent and then arranged for her a man to marry. Unknown to everyone, Scythrop conceals a lovely refugee in a room, takes food for her, have long philosophical discussions and fell in love with her. Unfortunately he is already in love with Miss Marionetta O'Carroll who is gay and lively as Celinda is thoughtful and melancholy.As a nightmare abbey has a plot , it is concerned with the solution of this triangle: indeed both ladies finally reject Scythrop and marries other man. Scythrop plans suicide but wisely changes his mind and story ends with his very sensible order to Raven, the butler, "bring some Madeira". From this bare out line of story, it is coloured by ghostly presence, sliding panels, wine drunk from skull and other features of what are called Gothic romance. It has been seen that Peacock was satirising, among other things one of the literary fashions of the day.  Jane Austen had made gentle fun of some fashion of nightmare abbey.  Crest in nightmare abbey in Mr. Flosky. There is amusing chapter in which Marionetta puzzled to the apparent 'cooling off' of Scythrop's love for her, seeks Mr. Flosky's advice. This he gives willingly and to great length but unfortunately poor Marionetta finds it completely incomprehensible. In the end she loses patience and says, "will you oblige be, Mr. Flosky, by giving me a plain answer to a  plain question?"  "It is impossible my dear Miss O'Carroll. I never gave a plain answer to plain question in my life." replies Mr. Flosky. He is found to be most amusing and agreeable companion.  

Alduos Huxley:
Huxley is of 20th century. Similarly to Peacock, He also saw with some amusement at the foolishness and wickedness of the time, painted pictures-comic or despairing of characters who are intellectual leaders of those times. We also find Swiftian disgust in Huxley's satire perhaps because Huxley's world included two great wars, a Europe threatened by dictators, mass torture and execution, the starvation of millions of children and much more. Huxley imitated Peacock in his novels like Chrome Yellow, Antic Hay, which are not so different from Nightmare Abbey or Headlong Hay. He enlarged Peacock's novel not just to include violent action but also real humanism.
Point Counter Point- it is said to the cleverest satirical novel of this century gives a fascinating picture of certain ideas and people of 1920.The  central figure in point counter point is Philip Quarles, a novelist and others are recognisable portraits Mark Rampion, Burlan and many which are disguised name of other intellectual of that time. Point counter point is not an easy book for the readers whose native language is not English, but it is important in the history of modern literature.
Brave New World- It is the most popular of all Huxley's books it has the attraction of science fiction, adding serious discussion of problems which seem far more immediate now than 40 years ago. Brave New World is frightening because so much of what author far-saw is already happen or is about to happen; the fertilisation of human egg in laboratory; a placing of human being in classes according to their intelligence; destruction of religion the use of sexual freedom to drug people into accepting the absence of others. Regardless of his warnings and those of other intelligent people, civilisation continued its technological advance. Ten years after Huxley's death world have started to realise the dangers that threatened us.
After Many a Summer-  It is a mixture of satire and philosophical discussion, held together by a good story which might be described as a horror thriller. Unlike earlier novel its characters are not intended as portraits or caricatures of particular people. The chief character is a English literature man named Jeremy Pordge. He is invited to California by American millionaire, Jo Stoyte who brought great quality oh historical papers and document from two ladies in England who are believed to be the only remaining members of noble English family of Haberk. From Los Angeles Jeremy is taken in Mr. Stoyle enormous car to the fantastic Gothic castle in which millionaire lives lives within army of servants; his personal physician Dr. Obispo and his mistress Virginia, a beautiful lady,over sexed and little intelligent, who is having an affair with Dr. Obispo. Through the way to castle driver drives through out the hoses of Hollywood stars and also showed Jeremy the Beverly Panthcon- a magnificent and very expensive cementry from which Jo Stoyte made his money. Arriving at Stoyte's castle Jeremy settles down to work on Hauberk papers, which fill several large boxes. He made conversation with Dr. Obispo who with his assistant Pete was trying to do research into possible way of prolonging human life. It was paid by Stoyte as he was already 60 and was more and more afraid of death. One day Jeremy finds among papers the dairy of 18th century,  the fifth earl of Gonister. It appeared  that Earl too had been interested in prolonging human life and discovered  it could be done by eating crap fish which are known to live as long as 200 years. Jeremy and Dr. Obispo were excited and they went to England to get more knowledge about it. During third time  there is a tragedy in castle. Young Pete had fallen in love with Virginia, as a lady is already busy with Dr. Obispo and her obligations  as millionaire, she had no time for Pete, she insisted  to be good friends. Stoyte however, believing Pete instead of Obispo to Virginia's  secret lover shoots the young man. Dr. Obispo certifies death has been caused by heart failure. Story ends with a dramatic and horrible scene in which four of them find fifth earl of Gonister, still alive after 200 years in an underground room at the family mansion in Surrey. With him apparently a women of same age. The two of them fight and make animal noise,  watched on fascinated horror by three of visitors from the world above. It is a strange and exciting story. But it is much more than the summary,  it contains Huxley's thought about some of the great problems of human life. Its central character indeed is one, Mr. Propter,  who lives near Stoyte's castle and devotes his life in helping poor labourers who work for brief period in the orchard and vine-guard. Mr. Propter takes no part in action of the book but fills half of it with his talk. Much of this talk expresses Huxley's own views of the grossly materialistic 'consumer  society ' of America at the time of book was written. Huxley's strength as a satirist lies in the fact that he is also a true novelist- novelist that is to say,  who writes about real people in real human situation.

George Orwell:

George Orwell is the pen name of Eric Blair, was born in India. His father was minor official in Indian customs. He went to school in Eton. He was scholarship boy, his own comparative poverty made him unhappy as well as encouraging. He was sent to Burma in Indian imperial police force from where he resigned in 1927.

Down and Out in Paris and London- He returned to England for next fer years in Paris and London- a period of his life in described in it. In 1936 he went to Spain and fought on the side of socialist government in the civil war. He was wounded and returned England. He continued to believe in social democracy but no longer had much confidence in any party. It was now clear to him that there was little to choose between fascist dictatorship on one hand and communist dictatorship on other. He became well known as a journalist and essayist during second world war.

Animal Farm-  He got a world wide fame in 1945 with animal farm. This little book was describing with sub title 'A fairy tale'. This little book must be considered one of the great satirical work of 20th century. Its strength lies in its very simplicity and reminder that the most effective satire is often so cleverly ironic that less intelligent readers imagine it to be childish. 

Nineteen Eighty Four- unfortunately  he did not live to see the success  of television and film version of this frightening piece of satire. A negative utopia intended as a warning that no modern society can afford to shut its eyes to the dangers of totalitarianism. 1948 when Orwell's story is set, the world was divided into three great powers 1.Eurasia 2. Eastasia 3.Oceania. England is part of Oceania is controlled by the party- personified by big brother. Society is divided into party members who wear 1. Blue overalls and so all the intellectual work, 2. Proles- who do physical work,  they ate ordinary human beings not very different from working class today but they are not allowed or expected to have any democratic power or to take any interest in political affairs. It was not difficult to control proles indeed there was no need to control them because they offered no possible threat to the party's power. The party members were much less free: their thought police and any breaking away from the principles of Ingsoc might  result in vaporisation of the thought criminal. In other words,  simply disappear,  as opponent of Stalin often did in Russia. The hero of book escaped vaporisation but the price he paid was a heavy. The important principle of ingsoc was that truth and history could be changed at the wish of the party. So it was believed that English people in the 1960s were the slaves of evil man called capitalists,  than children worked 12 hours a day in cool mines and factories; that families were so poor that they had no shoes and every capitalist had right to sleep with any women. All this change by Ingsoc revolution.  People leaned the idea of double think ' the poor of holding two contradictory ideas in ones mind and expecting both of them.' They were leaning new language, news speak which was hoped to replace old speak story of nineteen eighty four is quit simple and extremely frightening. Winston Smith, who is a good party member, finds himself troubled by memories of the past and by doubts about the big brother and the whole philosophy of the Ingsoc. To make matters worst he has a love affair with another party member,  Julia. The two of them therefore are guilty of both thought crime and sex crime. They were arrested by the thought police. Ana part three of the book describes in terrifying detail how Winston is interrogated by party agents at first he is able to resist but in the end he taken to room no.101,  where he was to face terrible thing in the world! Winston's resistance breaks and he finds himself doing the one things he had vowed never to do;betraying Julia.

Primary Satirist and their works...

Satirist	Works
John Dryden  (1631- 1700)	Absalom and Achitophel  ( 1681) Mac Fleckone ( 1682) The medal ( 1682) The hind and The Panther (1687)
Alexander Pope	The Duncaid Epistle of Dr. Arbuthnol Imitations of Horace The Rape of Lock
Jonathan Swift  (1667- 1745)	Gulliver’s  Travel  (1726) The Modest Proposal  (1726)
Thomas Love Peacock  ( 1785- 1866)	Misfortunes of Elphin Nightmare Abbey
Alduos Huxley  (1894-1963)	Brave New World ( 1932) Point Counter Point (1928) After Many Summer (1939) Chrome Yellow Antic  Hay
George Orwell	Nineteen Eighty Four (1949) Animal Farm (1945)

                                                                  Regarding the work of satirist and especially modern satirist like Orwell and Huxley fact that literature has moral purpose clarified. It is possible to read Brave new word or Animal farm or Nineteen eighty four for entertainment but perhaps than we wont be able to shut our eyes to the dangers which threaten the modern world. Great satire can do more practical good things than a hundred speeches by a good democratic politicians or a thousands sermons by well meaning preachers.