Drawing upon recent scholarship in Renaissance studies regarding notions of the body, political, physical and social, this study examines how the satiric tragedians of the English Renaissance employ ...the languages of sex - including sexual slander, titillation, insinuation and obscenity - in the service of satiric aggression. There is a close association between the genre of satire and sexually descriptive language in the period, author Gabriel Rieger argues, particularly in the ways in which both the genre and the languages embody systems of oppositions. In exploring the various purposes which sexually descriptive language serves for the satiric tragedian, Rieger reviews a broad range of texts, ancient, Renaissance, and contemporary, by satiric tragedians, moralists, medical writers and critics, paying particular attention to the works of William Shakespeare, Thomas Middleton and John Webster
Contents: Introduction: sex, stoicism and satyre: the roots of satiric tragedy; 'You go not till I set you up a glass': the death of Elizabeth and the languages of gender; 'Deep ruts and fouls sloughs': sexually descriptive language and the narrative of disease; 'I'll have my will': frustrated desire and commercial culture; 'I am worth no worse a place': service, subjugation and satire; Conclusion: erotic aggression and satiric tragedy; Appendix; Works cited, Index.
Gabriel A. Rieger is an assistant professor of medieval and Renaissance literature at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, where he lives with his wife and daughter
Online political satire is an important aspect of Chinese Internet culture and politics. Current scholarship focuses on its contents and views it primarily from the perspective of resistance. By ...reconceptualizing online political satire as a networked practice, this article shifts the focus of analysis from contents to practice. Five types of networked practices of online political satire are identified and analyzed. Practices which mainly fulfill social functions are referred to as ritual satire and distinguished from explicitly political practices. The article thus shows that online political satire has multiple meanings and uses. Its proliferation in Chinese digital spaces results from the complex and interlocked conditions of politics, technology, history, and culture.
The article is devoted to the interpretation of parody, satire, and caricature within the framework of premodern, modern, and postmodern societies. Considering mainly Western European and Russian ...cases, the researchers conclude that system of regulations and conventions linked the addressee and the addresser. The article compares some of the strategies and reputational capabilities of the satirical weeklies "Charivari", "Punch", "Spark", "Alarm clock" and "Dragonfly", an attempt is made to rank these publications according to the degree of public consent and disturbance of the public peace. Finally, conclusions are drawn about taboos and topics prohibited by the legal or moral law, the appeal to which has a clearly conflicting potential.
Jaroslav Haek is a Czech writer most famous for his wickedly funny, widely read, yet incomplete novel The Good Soldier Schweik, a series of absurdist vignettes about a recalcitrant WWI soldier. ...Haek-in spite of a life of buffoonery and debauchery-was remarkably prolific. He wrote hundreds of short stories that all display both his extraordinary gift for satire and his profound distrust of authority. Behind the Lines presents a series of nine short stories first published in the Prague Tribune and considered to be some of Haek's best. Based on his experiences as a Red Commissar in the Russian Civil War and his return to Czechoslovakia, Behind the Lines focuses on the Russian town of Bugulma, taking aim, with mordant wit, at the absurdities of a revolution. Providing important background and insight into The Good Soldier Schweik, this collection by a writer some call the Bolshevik Mark Twain is nevertheless much more than a tool for understanding his better-known novel; it is a significant work in its own right. A hidden gem remarkable for its modern, ribald sense of humor, Behind the Lines is an enjoyable, fast-paced anthology of great literary and historical value.
Political Satire has changed the way we view comedy. It would be accurate to say that real journalism is more evident in stand-up comedies and less in productive news channels that are also known as ...the fourth pillar of democracy. Journalism has turned into a laughingstock with all the unnecessary screaming, shouting and pointless/baseless debates. Digital platform has opened its arms wide to memes, stand-up comedies and sitcoms which are not only a visual treat to the audience but has in a way affected day to day lives of people reigning from different walks of life. Political satire through the digital ground has changed the way we perceive politics. Today's political satire, put forth in the form of stand-up comedies, situational comedies and memes, debunks the status quo. They have revolutionised the content and our perception as to how we perceive important political events. Satire carries the ability to bring about a change in society. This paper is an attempt to understand the journey of Indian Stand-up comedy as an important tool for political satire and how in recent years this has taken the form of alternative journalism.
In the past decade, people associated with what is known as the alt-right have employed a strategy similar to that of progressive, antiracist satirists to advance a decidedly white supremacist, ...anti-Semitic, misogynist, and deadly serious agenda. As this article documents, the alt-right weaponizes irony to attract and radicalize potential supporters, challenge progressive ideologies and institutions, redpill normies, and create a toxic counterpublic. Discussing examples of satiric irony generated by the extreme right alongside those produced by the (often mainstream) left, this article pairs two satirical memes, two activists’ use of irony, two ambiguously satirical tweets, and two recent controversies pertaining to racism and satire so as to illustrate how people with very different political commitments employ a similar style with potent effects. Of particular significance are reverse racism discourses, including “white genocide,” and the increasingly complicated relationship between intentions, extremism, and satire.
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