Isn’t it ironic?
Satire, Irony, Sarcasm
and more fun
What’s the difference?
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Sarcasm- often an exaggerated form of
irony. It’s more obvious and meant to hurt
someone
Irony- is usually directed at a situation and
usually isn’t meant to hurt. Not meant to
improve things, merely to observe the
ridiculous situations people find themselves
in
Satire- ridiculing human weakness in order
to bring about change- ultimately most
satire is trying to draw attention to a
situation in order to bring about change
Satire
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A literary genre that uses irony, wit,
and sometimes sarcasm to mock.
Often shows problems with society,
sometimes hopes to change them.
Common targets of satire include
individuals ("personal satire"), types of
people, social groups, institutions, and human
nature. Like tragedy and comedy, satire is
often a mode of writing introduced into various l
iterary forms; it is only a genre when it is the governing principle
of a work. Same with Irony
Two major types
 Indirect- satire is communicated through characters in a situation- Ex.
Huck Finn
 Direct-satire is directly stated
• Juvenalian- attacking, bitter, angry- Sicko
• Horatian- lighthearted, intended for fun- SNL sketches.
Jay Leno
Common Techniques of
Satire
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Exaggeration- to enlarge,
increase, or represent
something beyond normal so
that it becomes ridiculous and
it’s faults can be seen
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Example “chastity belt” in Men
in Tights
Sub-type: Caricature- an
exaggeration or distortion of
an individual’s features or
characteristics so extreme that
the person looks ridiculous
• Think Obama’s ears on political
cartoons
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Incongruity- presenting things
out of place or absurd in
relation to their surroundings
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Example- combat boots on a
prom queen
More
characteristics
of satire
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Burlesque- imitating a serious work in a mocking
way
•
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Example- mockumentaries, The Colbert Report, South Park
Parody- a type of burlesque imitating the techniques
or style of a particular work or author for comic
effect, usually to ridicule or criticize the work, author
or style. Can also apply to film, songs and paintings.
• Example- Austin Powers, Dance Flick, Spaceballs
Reversal- the opposite of the normal way of doing things
Example- the girl rescuing the boy, Shrek
Basic Definition of Irony
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Irony- a contradiction or
incongruity between
appearance/expectation and
reality
Events, situations, even how
something is structured can
all be ironic. When used
repeatedly, an ironic tone
can be created.
Types of Irony
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Verbal (rhetorical) Irony
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Most common
Meant to be an obvious
discrepancy in what a
speaker says and what they
believe
Often they say the exact
opposite of what they mean
Examples- “funny as a heart
attack”
• “clear as mud” “oh yeah, I had
a great day”
Situational Irony
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Created by events or
situations rather than
statements.
People involved may not
understand the irony.
Examples
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“Gift of the Magi”,
the myth of King Midas
winning the lottery and
dying the next day- a la
Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic”
Types of Situational Irony
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Dramatic Irony- when the audience knows
more than the characters do
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Tragic Irony- the consequences of the
character’s ignorance is catastrophic
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Wiley Coyote and Roadrunner
Soap operas
Hamlet’s murder of Polonius
Socratic Irony- pretending to be dumb to ask
innocent questions and get your opponent to
wind up agreeing with you
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Used in legal-show interrogations
Structural Irony
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Something separate from plot, but which
creates a discrepancy to get audiences to
question surface statements or
appearances
Often done by using a naïve or unreliable
narrator. Readers distrust the narrator’s
perceptions
Example
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SNL sketches
Daily Show/Colbert Report
The Great Gatsby