Genre: The Role Of Satire In Literature

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The genre of a story has a great impact in how a reader receives and responds to it. Genre influences every part of a piece from the language used to it’s construction. Different genres generally have different goals. These goals differ widely from each other depending on the genre of the piece. The purpose of horror, for example is to frighten the reader. To accomplish this it may employ the use of graphic imagery and language in order to shock the reader. From the start a writers approach may be influenced by the genre he’s subscribed to. Other genres have conditions too. Thrillers are designed to excite people, the writer might have shorter chapters, have a greater emphasis on action as opposed to characterisation. These are not the definitive …show more content…
They are examples of how such a choice can influence a writer’s place of thought and affect how the story develops. There is normally a lot of room for variety within these genres. However some genres are more restrictive and impact greater on the work that is made. A great example of that is satire. Satire is an attack on a subject that uses humour as an anaesthetic to ease the receiver into it. It has a narrower definition than most genres and requires several things to work such as the continued presence of sarcasm or militant irony. This essay will focus primarily on satire as a means of demonstrating how genre impacts a work and it’s effect on the reader.
Satire is similar to comedy in that it is intended to make the reader laugh. Unlike comedy however humour is not it’s only intended purpose. Satire seeks to belittle a subject and reduce it’s standing while evoking towards it feelings of contempt or scorn as well as amusement. In this respect it differs greatly from comedy. Comedy seeks laughter as a result whereas in satire humour is but a means to a greater end. The satirist assumes that the opinion of the
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He demonstrates this in his seminal work “A Modest Proposal”. In it he argues eloquently for the sacrifice of the children of poor Irish people as fodder for the rich Anglo elite. In doing so he satirised the general policies of the British government on Ireland as well as a certain cold attitude towards the poor held by many elite. The analogy is so graphic that it continues to shock readers today. (Swift, Dublin, 1729) It is not surprising that Satire has long had a home in politics. Politics affects everyone but accessible resources are often lacking. Satire provided a natural and accessible source for people to view

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