Rip Van Winkle

by Washington Irving

Rip Van Winkle: Satire 1 key example

Definition of Satire

Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of satire, but satirists can take... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians, are often the subject of... read full definition
Satire is the use of humor, irony, sarcasm, or ridicule to criticize something or someone. Public figures, such as politicians... read full definition
Satire
Explanation and Analysis—Petticoat Government:

"Rip Van Winkle" is often interpreted as a satire of Americans' obsession with their own independence. The first element of this satire is Dame Van Winkle's tyranny over Rip, which stands in for British tyranny over the United States:

there was one species of despotism under which [Rip] had long groaned, and that was—petticoat government.