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Horatian and Juvenalian Satire

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Horatian and Juvenalian Satire Satire has many definitions, but according to Merriam Webster satire can be defined as “A literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn” (Webster). This definition is likely used by many authors who exercise the application of satire. Satire has been in literature since ancient times; it is derived from the Latin satura, meaning "dish of mixed fruits," (Weisgerber). Many satirists have shared a common aim: to expose foolishness in all its guises — vanity, hypocrisy, formalism, reverence, and the intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself (Moyers). As previously mentioned, the term satire was originally derived from satura, defined by Quintilian, a roman rhetorician (Clarke). It was later discovered that two Roman poets, Juvenal and Horace, were responsible for further defining satirical works by their literary tone (Moyers). Thus, creating a systematic way to categorize satire into two different types, Horatian satire which approaches satirical observations, literature and performance in a humorous and lighthearted manner, and Juvenalian satire, which focuses on specific verbal or literary attacks on corrupt ideals or individuals (Weisgerber). I view Horatian satire as clever and humorous and find that it generally mocks others. Horatian is not negative; it aims to make fun of human behavior in a comic way. In a work using Horatian satire, readers often laugh at the characters in the story who are the subject of mockery as well as themselves and society for behaving in those ways (Thomas). One example of Horatian satire in literature is The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (Weisgerber). This play criticized characteristics of England at the time in areas such as class, countryside, marriage, love, women, and education (RachiRa). In The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde mocks

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