History of satire. Humor and satire in literature

In modern society, humor has become one of the ways to deal with depression, sadness and disappointment. Anecdotes and jokes can save a person in an awkward situation, and sometimes lead to their soulmate. However, the concepts of "humorist" and "satirist" should be distinguished.

A satirist is a person who not only jokes, but also makes fun of absurd things and events. Here the term “satire” emerges, which has become stronger not only in politics and philosophy, but also in fiction.

The meaning of the word "satirist"

Humor is a funny good-natured jokes and anecdotes that can cheer up in the company of friends or colleagues. It should not be confused with satire, which today has become a separate genre of literature, theater and song.

The satirist is a work of art. This is a person who represents this trend in literature, painting, sculpture and other areas of art. Such people do not always find recognition among the masses, however, many domestic and foreign authors have become famous precisely because of their comic works.

In colloquial speech, a satirist is a person who describes any event or action from the evil side. He does not miss the use of caustic mockery of any act or vice of his comrade.

Satire is a progressive genre of literature

Any satirist is a debunker of moral and social vices, which are ridiculed in an evil and condemning form. Satire is a field of literature, theatrical art, sculpture and song that uses these qualities to show the shortcomings of individuals (politicians, representatives of a different religion or nationality, business leaders, work colleagues or friends).

So that satire does not turn into a moralizing sermon, it is diluted with elements of humor and sarcasm. From this, satire became one of the popular genres of literature of the 18th-19th centuries, when art as a whole flourished.

satire examples

On stage, artists can often perform their own satirical performances or verses of the song. Also, professional satirists include parodists who make fun of people's shortcomings with the help of gestures, facial expressions or caustic phrases.

In literature, the works of M. Twain, J. Swift or M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin can serve as examples of satire. Among the actors, Charlie Chaplin immediately comes to mind, about whom there are many humorous stories.

IN modern world with the advent of the Internet appeared such as trolling. It is used in forums, social networks and chats. Trolling is also found in video games, some bloggers use it.

Satire is any work of the comic genre with a pronounced critical character of facts or objects of reality.

Flaws, weaknesses and vices in satire are ridiculed with the help of humor, such as irony, sarcasm, parody, grotesque, allegory, hyperbole, Aesopian language and others. It is through the images of heroes who ridicule the qualities of real-life characters, cruelly exposing their vices and weaknesses in an entertaining and humorous form, it is easy to understand what satire is in literature.

Definition of satire in literature

At all times, satire has served the ideas of humanism, enlightenment and the ideals of beauty, which the authors of satirical works called for, revealing various means humor the wrong side of reality and calling for the virtue of morality, spirituality, education, intellectual development. The definition of satire was first given by the Roman teacher of eloquence Quintilian. No wonder satire is defined as separate species art in which the unsightly aspects of reality are caricatured.

The power of satire in literature depends on how significant the position in society is occupied by the author-satirist, on the means of satire he uses, and also on the boldness of his style.

The first satirical literary works date back to the 2nd century BC, and Aristophanes is recognized as the most famous of the ancient satirists, who managed to accurately and tenaciously comment on the actions in his dramas of prominent public figures. In Russia, satire in literature is represented by many famous writers. In immortal works, famous authors masked the popular grin at the ruling system.

Examples of satire in works

A. S. Griboyedov, N.V. Gogol (poem "Dead Souls"), N.A. Nekrasov, A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lnrmontov, I. A. Krylov in fables, and especially the biting satire of M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, expressed disgust for tyranny, serfdom, and capital orders.

To the question of what satire is in literature, we can safely answer that it is a fine line between humorous and comic, which boldly reveals the essence in an accessible and understandable form, stigmatizing social vices. Satire gives hope and uplifts the spirit even in the most bitter moments of life, precisely because it helps to turn the usual picture of the world, turning it from tragic into an unimaginably tenacious inspiring joke.

Hello, dear readers of the site. Modern satirical writers often speak to the audience on TV screens - this is satire, including. Satirical works remain in memory for a long time.

But who would have thought that the philosophical essays of M. Zadornov or the caustic humoresques of M. Zhvanetsky are offshoots of a mighty tree rooted in archaic antiquity?

Satire is considered one of the ancient forms of art. What is the meaning and origin of the term, what is satire in literature - let's try to figure it out together.

The definition of satire - what is it

Satire (from Gr. satira - a motley mixture, all sorts of things) is one of the types of comic, mercilessly ridiculing human vices and phenomena public life.

Satire in literature is an image that, as a rule, relies on the grotesque or hyperbole, deliberately distorting, exaggerating the features of what is being described. But, ridiculing and denying this or that shortcoming, the author always makes it clear what the aesthetic ideal is. For example, satirically depicting bureaucracy in the comedy "" and in the poem "", N. sought to inspire the viewer and reader that bribe-takers, embezzlers and covetous people should not administer power in Russia, that its people deserve a better fate.

Therefore, the real auditor demands all the bribe-takers, and they stand as if struck by thunder. According to the writer's plan, Chichikov, having wandered around the country and failed in all his scams, in the second volume of the poem was to become an honest "entrepreneur" that benefits the state.

As a compositional principle or technique in the depiction of life, satire can be found in M.'s tales, close in form to a fable, where representatives of the fauna act as characters: "", "", "", etc.

In literary criticism, there is no single point of view on the question of the genre definition of satire, and there are examples of satirical works in epic, dramatic, and lyrical texts.

In the narrow sense of the word, accusatory poems are called satire. Such a lyrical form was popular in antiquity (for example, the satires of the Roman poets Horace and Juvenal) and in the era of classicism. Nekrasov's "Knight for an Hour" is also considered as a satire.

The history of the origin of satire

Literary critics say that the nature of satire has not been studied enough. At school, it is customary to talk about who the author ridicules and defends, how this is connected with the socio-political situation, and how the government reacted to the writer's satirical attack.

Without this, for example, the study of the comedy "The Inspector General" and the poem "Dead Souls" by Gogol does not pass. Meanwhile, the history of satire is very interesting.

The word itself comes from the Latin satira” and is related to the concept of “ Saturnalia».

So called ritual street festivities, which were associated with the change of seasons. On Saturnalia, the outgoing year and its events were ridiculed.

His departure (death) was perceived as something comical, and therefore did not cause sadness, which usually accompanies farewell. But the onset of a new time was perceived calmly.

This ritual of experiencing death and rebirth was familiar to pagans. It was based on the perception of natural and life cycles, an agrarian cult with the myth of Demeter and Persephone. Such sacraments were called mysteries and had many varieties.

Satire inherited from ancient festivitiesdesire for purification through laughter , a shame. It frees a person from vice, depicted in the brightest colors.

Imagine that the inhabitants of a small Greek polis attended a performance in which the hero, a selfish miser, disgraced himself on stage. Every word of the miser the next day became a proverb, and his behavior, typical of every miser, becomes the object of ridicule.

Now, realizing the comical nature of his position, the lover of profit every time remembers what he saw and beware of exposure.

It turns out that satire -This it's a powerful weapon necessary for people to strive for excellence.

Genres of satire

As we found out, satire can penetrate any literary genre, decorating both classical tragedy and the pages of a realistic novel.

However, there are a number of varieties of verbal creativity that cannot be imagined without a satirical filling.

The most famous genres of satire:

  1. actually satire;
  2. satirical novel;
  3. epigram;
  4. pamphlet;
  5. libel.

Initially, the genre of satire belonged to lyric poetry, later it appeared epic samples:

  1. In the satirical works of Juvenal, Horace, Martial, Virgil, not only human mores are criticized, but also specific policies, debauchery and recklessness of tyrants.
  2. In the works of N. Boileau, the features of personal satire addressed to specific individuals are preserved. Also criticized is the vain life in the capital, the worship of false values: wealth, fame, external beauty.
  3. In the satirical works of Cantemir, which marked the beginning of the Russian history of the genre, dandies, ignoramuses and imitators are ridiculed, discrediting their families and all the people.

satirical novel originated during the collapse of the Roman Empire. Its classic example is the Satyricon by Petronius. The great novel by F. Rabelais "", as well as the book by S. Brant "Ship of Fools" can be called satirical.

In Russia, the genre is represented by the novel by M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin “Golovlevs”.

fables also known to man since antiquity. The most famous fabulists (Aesop, La Fontaine, Moliere, Krylov) were certainly satirists.

Epigram- This is a small satirical genre that ridicules individual character traits or unseemly acts. In Russian lyrics, an epigram can be found in the work of Pushkin, Yazykov, Batyushkov.

In the genre of pamphlet worked primarily publicists. It became firmly established in magazine literature and became a favorite form of self-expression during the Enlightenment.

And here libel- not the genre that everyone should practice. This is the name of a written slander created by the author with unseemly intentions. Usually, with the help of libels, they settle personal scores with someone, therefore, this despicable name is called an essay in bad taste, created indiscriminately for purely personal purposes.

Signs of satirical works

In Russia, satire is usually opposed to humor. There is another tradition: the humorous is divided into satirical, ironic and other varieties of the funny. One way or another, by contrasting, we see the differences better.

Tounderstand that we have satire , Anot just a funny storyor a funny poem, let's see if the work has these signs:

  1. shortcomings are not just named, but also ridiculed(sometimes with the help of hyperbole (exaggeration) or litotes (understatement);
  2. mockery cannot be called harmless: by nature it sharp, evil, sometimes caustic;
  3. purpose of satire destroy, eradicate the former and provoke the emergence of a new one;
  4. the tasks of the satirist are global: he fights against “weeds” both in one human heart and in the field of all mankind;
  5. one cannot imagine satire outside the life of society;
  6. satire knows no shades and compromises, using the most merciless means of ridicule.

If we talk about the means of artistic expression that help satirists sharpen their weapons of struggle, then these are hyperbole, litotes, metonymy, synecdoche and other ways of creating contrast.

Most often, satire is used to expose the current government, affects any social problems or political forces. For example, during the Enlightenment in England, satirical works made it possible to ridicule the struggle between the Tory and Whig political parties.

In the 20th century in Europe, this genre was aimed at the caricature of the First World War, fascism, Adolf Hitler. In the early years of existence Soviet Union- this satire ridiculed the bourgeoisie and the dictatorial form of government, and with the onset of the "thaw" period, it began to expose the shortcomings of Khrushchev and Brezhnev's rule.

What is the difference between satire and humor

Satire and humor are closely related, but have some differences. The difference lies, first of all, in the degree of appreciation of these comic genres and the reaction of the general public to them.

Humor is a demonstration of a mockingly good-natured attitude to all sorts of absurdities. It does not aim to condemn vices, but allows you to bring a smile, bring pleasure to people. Satire, on the contrary, ridicules the shortcomings of man and society. It can be called evil humor, which is not just used to achieve a laughable effect, but carries morality and philosophy.

Examples of satire in literature

Usually satire covers everything literary work and only occasionally some of his passages and scenes. A vivid example of this genre is the novel The Cunning Hidalgo of La Mancha, where Cervantes ridicules a romantic who has been estranged from life, who has confused a dream with reality.

The work "" by Mark Twain is aimed at exposing the beliefs of the inhabitants of the pre-war regions of southern North America, which contradicted moral values the writer himself.

Among the first satirical works directed against politics is the story "Animal Farm" by J. Orwell, where the author describes talking animals who decided to rule the world.

Yaroslav Hasek laughed at the events of the First World War in The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik, showing readers the shortcomings of German militarism.

If we talk about individual satirical passages in the works, then good example scenes appear in the hetman's courtyard in the second act of Bulgakov's play Days of the Turbins, where the author, through the characters, showed his attitude to Skoropadsky's rule.

Brief Summary

Satire has lived and will live forever, as long as writers are worried about the imperfections of our world. It reflected the longing for the ideal and the understanding that it is hardly possible to completely correct human nature.

The term "satire" comes from the Latin "lanx satura", which means "plate of fruit", "mixture".

Satire is:

1. A accusatory literary work depicting the negative phenomena of reality in a funny, ugly way.

2. A mockery, a denunciation.

As a special poetic form, satire appeared in the civil culture of ancient Rome. It arose from folk art, which repeatedly and constantly refers to satire as a tool of self-defense and self-consolation from the strong and powerful. Prominent representatives of Roman satire were Ennius, Lucilius, Horace, Persia, and especially Juvenal, who determined its form for later European classicism. In medieval and modern Europe, satire went beyond the framework of the old form and, developing as an independent work, had complex and diverse destinies, putting forward a number of well-known names: in France - Rabelais, Boileau, Voltaire, from new ones - Courier, Berenger, Barbier, V. Hugo; in England, Swift; in Germany - Brant, Heine with "Atta Troll"; the Italians have Ariosto, Gozzi, Alfieri; the Spaniards have Cervantes.

Russian satire already existed in the 17th century and earlier in the folk story, the work of buffoons, etc. ("the parable of the hawker", satires on the court of Shemyaka and about Ersh Ershovich, the son of Shchetinnikov, and so on.).

In the 18th century, satire flourished in Russia. New genres appear: epigram, message, fable, comedy, epitaph, parody song, journalism. The creator of Russian satire as a small poetic genre, focused on antique and classic samples, was A.D. Kantemir. Cantemir, imitating Latin verse, developed a new syntax, intensively used inversions and transfers, sought to bring the verse closer to "simple conversation", introduced vernacular, proverbs and sayings.

However, the stylistic innovations of Kantemir did not find continuation in Russian literature.

The next step in the development of domestic satire was made by A.P. Sumarokov, the author of numerous books on satire, in which he outlined his theoretical views on the purpose of satire and its place in the hierarchy of classic genres.

In the second half of the 18th century, poetic satire in Russia gives way to magazine satire. In the 1760s-1790s, new satirical magazines were opened one after another in Russia: "Useful Hobby", "Free Hours", "Mix", "Drone", published by I.S. Krylov "Mail of Spirits", "Spectator" and many others.

Magazine satire is increasingly gravitating towards the genre feuilleton. Elements of satire appear in the novel and drama. The most vivid images of satire in Russian literature are represented by the works of A.S. Griboyedov, N.V. Gogol, A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin, N.A. Nekrasov.

The history of Russian satire at the beginning of the 20th century is connected with the activities of the magazines "Satyricon" (1908-1914) and "New Satyricon" (1913-1918), in which the largest satirical writers of the era were published: A. Averchenko, Sasha Cherny (A. Glikberg), Teffi (N. Buchinskaya) and others. The magazines did not avoid bold political satire, they turned to a wide range of poems and prose genres, attracted outstanding artists as illustrators (B. Kustodiev, K. Korovin, A. Benois, M. Dobuzhinsky, etc.)

Among the most notable phenomena of Russian satire of the 20th century are the lyrics and plays by V. Mayakovsky, the prose of M. Bulgakov, M. Zoshchenko, I. Ilf and E. Petrov, the dramatic tales of E. Schwartz. The satire of the Soviet period is the sphere ideologies, is divided into "external", denouncing capitalist reality (Black and White, 1926, V. Mayakovsky), and "internal", in which the denial of particular flaws is combined with a general affirmative principle. In parallel with the official satire, there are folklore genres (joke, ditty) and satirical literature not allowed for publication. The unofficial satire is dominated by grotesque and fantasy, utopian and anti-utopian elements are highly developed (Heart of a Dog and Fatal Eggs by M. Bulgakov).

Satire occupies an important place in the work of representatives of the first wave of Russian literary emigration (A. Averchenko, Sasha Cherny, Teffi, V. Goryansky, Don Aminado (A. Shpolyansky), etc.). The genres of satirical story and feuilleton predominate in their heritage. In 1931, in Paris, M. Kornfeld resumes the publication of the Satyricon. In addition to the previous authors, I. Bunin, A. Remizov, A. Kuprin participate in the published issues. A special place in the magazine is occupied by a satire on Soviet reality and the mores of emigration. Thus, we can conclude that satire as a literary genre is a criticism of reality with the aim of improving it. Satire appeared in antiquity and its appearance can be associated with the social system in human society. In its development, satire went through different stages of evolution: it arose from folk art, but developed as an independent work; was presented as an instrument of self-defense and self-consolation, but became an instrument of denunciation of problems and shortcomings in society. Having become an independent genre, satire earned a special attitude towards itself from the progressive people of society. The satirical genres of journalism began to be written in a special "handwriting", which was characterized by the reliability of the description, the targeting of facts, the presence of the "sharpness" of the problem, and the "open visor" in its presentation. Unfortunately, the history of Russian satire, having many examples, has not been studied in depth and in detail so far, neither in relation to its classical, now clearly and long extinct, poetic form, nor even more so in relation to the huge satirical content of the Russian story, novel and everyday comedy.

Satire at the beginning of its appearance was a certain lyrical genre. It was a poem, often significant in volume, the content of which contained a mockery of certain persons or events. Satire as a genre originated in Roman literature.

The word "satire" comes from the Latin name for mythical creatures, mocking demigods, half animals - satyrs. It is also associated with the word satura, which in the common people meant a dish of hodgepodge, which indicated a mixture of different sizes (Saturnian verse, along with Greek sizes) and the presence in satire of a wide variety of descriptions of all kinds of facts and phenomena, in contrast to other lyrical genres, which had a strictly limited and defined area of ​​\u200b\u200bimage.

Roman satire was most evident in the works of Horace, Persia, and especially Juvenal.

The generally recognized legislator of literary rules, Boileau, in his treatise Poetic Art, writes that the genre of satire is more needed by society than ode.

Over time, satire loses its significance as a particular genre, as happened with other classical genres, for example, elegy, idyll, etc. Exposure has become the main feature of satire.

The basis of satire is denunciation And laughter, with the help of laughter, the author exposes the shortcomings, human vices.

The hallmark of satire is negative attitude towards the object of the image and, at the same time, the presence of a positive ideal, against which the negative features of the depicted are revealed.

The author of a satirical work, creating an object " high degree conventions", uses hyperbole And grotesque. A fantastic plot ("Gulliver's Travels" by J. Swift, "The History of a City" by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin), an allegory (the fables of Aesop, J. Lafontaine, I.A. Krylov) can be embodied in grotesque forms.

In Russian literature, satire first appeared in a satirical story of the late 17th century. The genre of satire was developed by A.P. Sumarokov, D.I. Fonvizin, N.I. Novikov.

A special role in the development of satire of the 18th century was played by the work of A.D. Kantemir. A.D. Kantemir was based on the European literary tradition and considered D.Yu. Yuvenal, N. Boileau as his predecessors. The satires of A.D. Kantemir were divided into philosophical and pictorial. V.A. Zhukovsky in the article "On the satire and satires of Kantemir" wrote that the satires of A.D. Kantemir are clearly divided into Russian and foreign ones: Russians are "picturesque", that is, they represent a gallery of portraits of the carriers of vice; foreign satires are "philosophical", since in them A.D. Kantemir is more inclined to talk about vice as such.


Russian satire reached its peak in the 19th century. First, the fables of I.A. Krylov, satirical poems by G.R. Derzhavin. Then A.S. Griboyedov in his comedy "Woe from Wit" "branded the Molchalins and Skalozubov", and N.V. Gogol satirically showed the "dead souls" of landlord Russia.

We also find elements of satire in the work of the poet of revolutionary democracy N.A. Nekrasov ("Reflections at the front door", "Modern ode", etc.).

An important stage in the development of Russian satire at the beginning of the 20th century was the activity of the magazines "Satyricon" and "New Satyricon". The largest satirical writers of the era were published in them: A. Averchenko, Sasha Cherny (A. Glikberg), Teffi and others.

Russian satire of the first half of the 20th century is also represented in the fables-satires of D. Bedny, satires by V. Mayakovsky, short stories by M. Zoshchenko, satirical novels by I. Ilf and E. Petrov, dramatic tales by E. Schwartz, essays and feuilletons by M. Koltsov, comedies by A. Bezymensky.