Bad Summer People

The sly genre of satire uses exaggeration, humor, or irony to criticize political or social issues and is often exaggerated to the point of absurdity. Within this framework, the tone of individual satirical works can vary greatly and take a variety of approaches to criticism. Some works may utilize a bitter and biting narrative voice that mocks society’s heartless attitudes and cruel follies. Prime examples of this approach include the movie Fight Club (1999), Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932), or Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal (1729). A different approach to satire maintains a more cheerful and intellectual tone, detachedly poking fun at common social biases and ideas rather than condemning individual follies. For example, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), by Lewis Carroll, is an intellectual satire that utilizes the quirks of math, chess, and language to create an absurdist world that critiques common attitudes and perceptions in British society.

The most common form of satire in contemporary literature is playful and light-hearted, focusing on folly with a certain amount of sympathy in order to create a narrative that appeals to the broadest