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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
Key Examples in The Open Window
Satire
Explanation and Analysis—Edwardian Decorum:
Saki does a great deal of satirizing in "The Open Window." Writing from a period of social change in Britain, he makes fun of the traditional decorum practiced by the Edwardian leisure class. He reveals the meaninglessness of this excessive decorum by setting Mr. Nuttel's neurotic internal monologue up against Vera's clever hoax. In his acute concern for propriety, the helpless Mr. Nuttel finds himself discouraged, silenced, and ultimately scared away. The layers of etiquette he attempts to observe prevent him from behaving like a sane and sensible person. Vera, a teenager, represents a force of change in the contrived world of adults.
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