18th Century Satire

Throughout history, many cultural aspects and trends have evolved in order to adapt to more modern times. Satire, a form of criticism that utilizes humor to enhance its effect, is no exception. During the 18th century, satire was a unique form of writing that allowed authors to express their opinions on their society. The intended use of satire in the 18th century had a very different motive as opposed to modern times. The 18th century’s culture and societal structure was extremely different compared to modern standards. There was a clear boundary between the lower class peasants and the upper class nobles. Religion also had a prevalent influence on the government and society in general. Compared to modern times, the way that society operated during the Restoration period seemed almost

Rather than attempting to bring about social reform, satire is now used to mock, tease, and bully. There is a myriad of talk shows solely devoted to ridiculing celebrities, such as artists, politicians, or criminals. Social media is now just a medium of sharing satire; like-minded individuals come together in order to criticize their collective enemies by using satire. Politics is also a target of satire. Many artists create political cartoons in order to satirically criticize government officials. While some of these may be suggesting social reform, most are used to patronize and condescend their subjects. Satire today has no real purpose other than to make fun of individuals. Many people today would rather make fun of others and point out their flaws than try to change what is “wrong” with our society (although they may not suspect that anything is “wrong” in the first place). There is not a major population that is actively seeking issues to change in society by applying satire (which may not be as effective in modern society anyway, as compared to its 18th century