Andrew Unger
Menu
  • About
  • Books
    • The Best of the Bonnet
    • Once Removed
  • Press
    • Press 2023
    • Press 2022
    • Press 2021
    • Press 2020
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Understanding Satire
      • Understanding satire: What makes people laugh?
      • Understanding satire: What is satire?
      • Understanding satire: What is “fake news”?
      • Understanding satire: How to detect satire
      • Understanding satire: Examples of satire
      • Understanding satire: Cognitive biases and satire
      • Writing satire: Tone in satire
      • Writing satire: Types of exaggeration
      • Writing satire: Are you punching up or punching down?
  • The Unger Review
  • Contact
Menu

Writing satire: Tone in satire

There are two main styles of satire that are distinguished by the tone that is being used. Before writing satire, it’s important to decide what tone you will use.

    • Juvenalian (bitter, biting, harsh, sarcastic, attacking social evil) – like Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal
      • The message of this type of satire is “this is evil”
    • Horatian (gentle, mild, light-hearted) – like most, not all, “fake news” satire
      • The message of this type of satire is “this is silly”

Generally, an audience will respond with laughter to Horatian satire. However, a Juvenalian tone may be important if you are tackling major social problems with your satire. Jonathan Swift, for example, critiqued the upperclass of 18th century Ireland who allowed thousands of people to starve on the streets with little care. His writing would not have been effective if he had taken on a lighter Horatian tone. An angry, biting tone was much more appropriate for the subject matter. That being said, there still is a clever dark humour in Jonathan Swift’s work.

(Click here to return to Teaching satire)

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
© 2023 Andrew Unger