Literary notes about satire (AI summary)
In literature the term "satire" is employed as a versatile tool for critiquing human behavior and societal institutions through wit, irony, and exaggeration. Authors have used it to both entertain and convey biting criticism, ranging from gentle mockery to fierce personal denunciation. Some writers temper their observations with humorous invective that exposes cultural oddities and personal follies [1, 2], while others target high-profile figures and established norms with caustic precision [3, 4]. Whether lampooning modern man’s belittling virtues or castigating the pompous pretensions of power, satire has long served as a mirror reflecting the absurdities and vices of society [5, 6].
- Often it pleased the unfortunate young man to vex people with a lighter satire, yet still characterized by somewhat of snake-like virulence.
— from Mosses from an old manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne - The reader need have no fear of seeing my satire remain unpunished; if this essay finds readers, I shall pay for my insults with interest.
— from On Love by Stendhal - Stanislaus, who was generous, and did not like satire, was filled with indignation at the author’s daring to be personal in his presence.
— from The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau — Complete by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - He attacked Dryden in a poem called A Satire against Wit .
— from The Rape of the Lock, and Other Poems by Alexander Pope - It is a satire on modern man and his belittling virtues.
— from Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - That is some satire, keen and critical, Not sorting with a nuptial ceremony.
— from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
