Satire and Satirical Novel

Satire is defined in Encyclopaedia Britannica as "an artistic form, chiefly literary and dramatic, in which human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, parody, caricature, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to inspire social reform.“ (Elliot). So, when we talk about a satirical novel, it is basically a novel where satire is used to expose and criticize contemporary issues, mainly political or people’s nonsensical behaviour. This is mainly used to point out these issues and make the readers aware of them.

Satire can be found in all sorts of media, like, literature, drama, motion pictures (films) and television.

Examples:

The first examples are satirical novels. Among the most popular ones belongs Jaroslav Hašek’s The Good Soldier Švejk. It is “a satirical novel set during World War I, following the story of a Czech soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army.” (“The Good Soldier Svejk”). The novel mocks the unnecessity and stupidity of wars.

Another great example of a satirical novel is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. This and the previous example have one thing in common and that is the target of their mockery as “the book is a satirical critique of military bureaucracy and the illogical nature of war, set during World War II.” (“Catch-22”).

Then there are countless of great satirical movies, TV series and dramas.

MASH (1972-1983) – TV series about a hospital camp set in the Korean War.

Fight Club (1999) – Movie that mocks toxic masculinity.

Works cited:

Elliott, Robert C. “Satire.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 22 Aug. 2024, www.britannica.com/art/satire.

“The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hašek.” The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hašek - The 165th Greatest Book of All Time, thegreatestbooks.org/books/952. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

“Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.” Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - The 34th Greatest Book of All Time, thegreatestbooks.org/books/18. Accessed 23 Sept. 2024.

Daniel Čučka,536775