Social satire

Social satire uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize social behavior, institutions, or conventions. It exposes the gap between public ideals and lived practice.

Irony: A figure of speech or situation in which meaning contrasts with expectation or appearance. Social satire uses this gap to expose hypocrisy and contradictions.
Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen's 1813 novel about courtship, class, and social judgment in Regency England. Its wit exposes the pressures and pretensions surrounding marriage and status.
Aristophanes: An ancient Greek comic playwright whose surviving plays attack contemporary politics, ideas, and public figures. His Old Comedy made public institutions and civic behavior subjects of theatrical ridicule.
Farce: A comic dramatic form built on improbable situations, physical action, and mistaken identity. Farce seeks comic escalation; social satire adds criticism of social norms.
Public sphere: A social arena where people discuss matters of shared concern and form public opinion. Print and performance satire can carry criticism into public debate.
Caricature: A representation that exaggerates distinctive traits for comic or critical effect. Exaggerated social types make conventions and behavior easier to scrutinize.
The Importance of Being Earnest: Oscar Wilde's 1895 comedy of manners built around mistaken identities and social convention. Its absurd plot mocks Victorian respectability and marriage customs.
Horace: A Roman poet whose Satires portray human folly in a conversational, often tolerant voice. His style gave later social satire a model of genial correction.
Comedy of manners: A comic genre that portrays and mocks the manners and conventions of a social class. It often overlaps with social satire but focuses especially on etiquette and courtship.
Censorship: The suppression or restriction of expression by authorities or other controlling institutions. Satirical attacks on powerful interests have often prompted attempts to suppress them.

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