We are Horatian, not Juvenalian! …Or so some say…

We discovered today that, in Wikipedia’s entry for Satire, the Ig Nobel Prizes are the first exemplar of one of the two kinds of satire. The entry reads:



Horatian vs Juvenalian



Satirical literature can commonly be categorized as either Horatian or Juvenalian,[27][need quotation to verify] although the two are not entirely mutually exclusive.


Horatian

Horatian satire, named for the Roman satirist Horace (65–8 BCE), playfully criticizes some social vice through gentle, mild, and light-hearted humour. It directs wit, exaggeration, and self-deprecating humour toward what it identifies as folly, rather than evil. Horatian satire’s sympathetic tone is common in modern society.[citation needed]


Examples:



The Ig Nobel Prizes.
Bierce, AmbroseThe Devil’s Dictionary.
Defoe, DanielThe True-Born Englishman.
Gogol, NikolaiDead Souls.
Groening, Matthew ‘Matt’The Simpsons.
Kubrick, StanleyDr. Strangelove.
Lewis, Clive StaplesThe Screwtape Letters.
Mercer, Richard ‘Rick’The Rick Mercer Report.
Pope, AlexanderThe Rape of the Lock.
Twain, MarkAdventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Juvenalian

Juvenalian satire, named after the Roman satirist Juvenal (late 1st century – early 2nd century CE), is more contemptuous and abrasive than the Horatian. Juvenalian satire addresses social evil through scorn, outrage, and savage ridicule. This form is often pessimistic, characterized by irony, sarcasm, moral indignation and personal invective, with less emphasis on humor. Strongly polarized political satire is often Juvenalian. Also see: Satires of Juvenal.


Examples:



Barnes, JulianEngland, England.
Bradbury, RayFahrenheit 451.
Bulgakov, MikhailHeart of a Dog.
Burgess, AnthonyA Clockwork Orange.



 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on November 18, 2013 07:09
No comments have been added yet.


Marc Abrahams's Blog

Marc Abrahams
Marc Abrahams isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.
Follow Marc Abrahams's blog with rss.