Satire

Satire is a genre of literature, and sometimes graphic and performing arts, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, corporations, government or society itself, into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be humorous, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit to draw attention to both particular and wider issues in society.

A feature of satire is strong irony or sarcasm—"in satire, irony is militant"—but parody, burlesque, exaggeration, juxtaposition, comparison, analogy, and double entendre are all frequently used in satirical speech and writing. This "militant" irony or sarcasm often professes to approve of (or at least accept as natural) the very things the satirist wishes to attack.

Satire is nowadays found in many artistic forms of expression, including literature, plays, commentary, television shows, and media such as lyrics.

Etymology and roots

The word satire comes from the Latin word satur and the subsequent phrase lanx satura. Satur meant "full" but the juxtaposition with lanx shifted the meaning to "miscellany or medley": the expression lanx satura literally means "a full dish of various kinds of fruits."

The Satirist

The Satirist, or the Censor of the Times was a controversial 19th century British newspaper which featured reports of scandals involving well known residents of London. It was published by Barnard Gregory, who faced multiple libel charges and was later imprisoned due to its articles. The Satirist was frequently criticised by commentators, and James Hain Friswell described it as a "poor imitation of Town and Country".

History

The Satirist was first published on April 10, 1831, at that time it cost 7d. It was published weekly and released on Sundays. The paper became notorious for the allegations it published and the legal battles they provoked. The front page of the paper carried the motto, "Satire's my weapon. I was born a critic and a satirist; and my nurse remarked that I hissed as soon as I saw light". Though it never failed to gain an audience, public opinion eventually turned squarely against the paper. The Satirist published 924 issues, the last of which was released December 15, 1849. At its height the paper had a weekly circulation of over 9,000.