3 Types of Satire Every Storyteller Should Know — Horatian vs. Juvenalian vs. Menippean Satire

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The history and types of satire including Horatian satire, Juvenalian satire, and Menippean satire.

What is Satire? ►►
Satire Examples in Film ►►

Chapters:
00:00 Intro: The 3 Types of Satire
03:03 Origins of Satire
03:47 Horatian Satire: Light in Tone & Milder Critiques
07:40 Juvenalian Satire: Dark in Tone & Harsher Critiques
11:30 Menippean Satire: Targeting Morals & Beliefs
15:05 Satire Example: 3 Steps for Creating Satire

What is satire? It's easy to throw out a quick satire definition, but many people don’t truly understand the origins of satire or the characteristics of satire. In fact, there are three types of satire, each with their own approach, targets, and goals. In this explainer, we’ll take it back to Ancient Greece and Rome to see the origin of satire and how it branched out into Horatian satire, Juvenalian satire, and Menippean satire.

In general, we can define satire as a storytelling genre that mocks, ridicules, and criticizes perceived wrongs in our society and belief systems. Therefore, one of the main functions of satire is to inspire change intended to “right these wrongs.” The method with which each writer or filmmaker uses satire to achieve that change varies between the three main types of satire. So, where can we use satire? Let’s jump into some of the most popular satirical examples in film history that answer that question.

Our first and one of the most popular types of satire comes from Horace (65 BC — 8 BC), a Roman writer known for playfully mocking leading figures of his day in his work. Horatian satire is usually comedic in tone and the critique can be mild — it’s more of a playful mockery than an abrasive condemnation. In our video, we chose Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove as one of the best satirical examples in the Horatian mode. The film takes aim at the absurdity of nuclear brinkmanship and the cartoonish leaders responsible for it.

Next, we have Juvenalian satire, which is one of the more darker and antagonistic kinds of satire. Named for the caustic Roman writer Juvenal (1st Century AD — 2nd Century AD), this mode of satire is light on comedy and much more pointed in its criticism of social institutions like government, politicians, and class structures. A fantastic modern example of Juvenalian satire is Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite — which tackles capitalism and the way it forces both the rich and poor to act like parasites.

Finally, we’ll look at Menippean satire, which can vary wildly in tone but focuses its critiques on mental attitudes and belief systems such as racism and religion. This satiric mode of storytelling is named after Menippus (3rd Century BC) even though all of his own writings are lost to time — all we have are other contemporaneous writers discussing his work. We chose Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit as our main example of Menippean satire because it turns a very serious and dangerous historical movement (Nazi Germany) into something completely absurd.

No matter the social institution or belief system you feel needs changing, one of these main types of satire can be the ideal vehicle to deliver your message and bring change to the world.


#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking


— Songs Used —

"Fairydust" - Eagle Lake
"144" - Live Footage
"Tiki Beach" - King Flamingo
"Any Other Name" - Thomas Newman
"Relaxing Roman Music" - Aetas Romana
"Ancient Greek Music" - The Lyre of Classical Antiquity...
"Spietati, io vi giurai" - Handel: Rodelinda / Act 2
"America F*** Yeah" - Team America
"Bomb Run" - Dr. Strangelove… Music From the Films of Stanley Kubrick
"She Calls" - District 9 OST
"Medula Oblongata" - The Dust Brothers
"What is Fight Club" - The Dust Brothers
"Back to D9" - District 9 OST
"Opening" - Parasite OST
"Zappaguri" - Parasite OST
"Ending" - Parasite OST
"Jojo's March" - Jojo Rabbit OST
"I Don't Wanna Grow Up" - Tom Waits
"Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand" - Jojo Rabbit OST
"Eye of the Tiger (String Quartet Version)" - Jojo Rabbit OST
"Corporate World" - The Dust Brothers

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Music by Artgrid ►
Music by Soundstripe ►
Music by MusicBed ►

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