The Use of Satire in Writing
Write a Literary Analysis on the use of satire in the following course materials we have read so far: Canterbury Tales, Don Quixote, and Faust. Begin with an introduction that outlines the definition of satire and then apply that definition in the next three paragraphs to the three texts (one text per paragraph). In your conclusion, compare/contrast how satire was utilized in the three writings and explore what this says about the society in which these authors lived.
Sample Solution
The Use of Satire in Writing
Satire in literature is a type of social commentary. Writers use exaggeration, irony, and other devices to poke fun of a particular leader, a social custom or tradition, or any other prevalent social figure or practice that they want to comment on and call into question. For example, Chaucer uses irony and satire throughout his Canterbury Tales in order to gently mock various elements of society. In the case of the monk and the friar, he is mocking the church. Chaucer`s descriptions of the Monk and Friar are satirical and ironic because neither the Monk nor the Friar is the sort of ascetic man, caring nothing for women or money, that members of the church should be. The monk, ironically, is a hunter, even though monks should not hunt. Meanwhile, the friar is “a wantowne and a merye,” or pleasure-loving and merry, again ironic behavior for a supposedly chaste friar.
