Abstract
This paper enquires into the use of satire, especially literary satire. Focusing on two culturally different satirical novels (The Pessoptimist and The Holy Land), it attempts to identify the techniques of producing satire and the conditions needed for comprehending it. It aims at testing the applicability of Simpson’s Model of Satirical Humour to literary satirical works and especially those written in Arabic. An analysis of a Palestinian satirical novel in comparison with an American one is provided. Such analysis focuses on the linguistic characteristics of Arabic that may highlight it as more satirical and gives prominence to science fiction as a vehicle for satire. The effective role of stylistic techniques and pragmatic principles is introduced in analysing literary works in general and satirical works in particular. Through discussing the components of the stylistic model, the reader’s role in achieving the satirical effect of satirical works is foregrounded and more elaboration is given to the metaphoric satirical techniques. Finally, the paper proposes a couple of modifications to the model in relation to both the satirical techniques and the satirical uptake process.
Highlights
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, satire was believed to be a prominent form of literary composition, i.e., a literary genre with specific characteristics
Focusing on two culturally different satirical novels (The Pessoptimist and The Holy Land), it attempts to identify the techniques of producing satire and the conditions needed for comprehending it
People are likened to animals especially dogs; Zubrin indicates how people of the Western Galactic Empire inwardly think of the Americans
Summary
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, satire was believed to be a prominent form of literary composition, i.e., a literary genre with specific characteristics. Examples of satire in ancient Greece are the plays of Aristophanes (450-388 BC), the Greek dramatist whose plays are known for their critical political and societal commentary (“Aristophanes”, 2013). Another form of satire in ancient Greece is named after Menippus (3rd century BC), a Greek Cynic and satirist. In ancient Rome, satire appeared in the form of poetry in the works of the two most prominent and influential ancient Roman satirists, Horace (65–8 BC) and Juvenal (the late 1st and early 2nd century AD). In the 18th century, Jonathan Swift, one of the greatest Anglo-Irish satirists, was of the first to practise satire in a modern journalistic form. That is why this paper deals with satire as “a spirit expressed through other forms” (Test, 1991, p. 10), “a mode of discourse or vision” (Preminger & Brogan, 1993, p. 1114), “a mode of humorous communication” (Simpson, 2003, p. 43), “a mental position” (Knight, 2004, p. 4), or “a culturally situated discursive practice” (Simpson, 2003, p. viii)
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