Satire

Satire is writing that uses humour, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to expose and criticise human foolishness, vice or the failings of institutions, with the aim of prompting change or at least recognition.

In 1729 Jonathan Swift proposed, with a straight face, that the poor of Ireland should sell their children as food to the rich. Nobody was meant to agree. The outrage was the point. A Modest Proposal is satire at its sharpest: a horror told calmly, to expose a real one.

The tools

Satire borrows from other devices.

• Irony. Saying one thing and meaning another, as Swift does.
• Hyperbole. Exaggerating a flaw until it cannot be ignored.
• Understatement. Treating an outrage as if it were routine.
• Allegory. Using a story about animals or travellers to attack a society.

Two voices

Horatian satire, after the Roman poet Horace, smiles and corrects. Juvenalian satire, after Juvenal, rages and condemns. Swift's essay is Juvenalian. Austen's gentle jabs at manners are Horatian.

Why it works, and where it fails

Satire invites the reader to feel clever for getting the joke, and then to feel uncomfortable at what it describes. It fails when the target is unclear, when readers take it literally, or when it punches down at people who cannot answer back.

Why it matters to a writer or editor

Satire is easy to misread, particularly in a short post with no tone of voice. An editor asks whether the irony will be obvious to the intended audience and whether the target is fair. Make sure the exaggeration points at something real. A clear satirical target and a consistent tone make the difference between a joke and a misunderstanding.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between satire and parody?

Parody imitates a particular work or style for comic effect. Satire criticises a target in the real world. A piece can be both.

What are the main kinds of satire?

Horatian satire is gentle and amused. Juvenalian satire is angry and harsh. Menippean satire mixes forms and attacks ideas and attitudes.

What are famous satires?

Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, Gulliver's Travels, Voltaire's Candide, Orwell's Animal Farm and the work of Mark Twain.