State of ridicule : a history of satire in English literature / Daniel Sperrin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sperrin, Daniel, 1993- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Satire, English--History and criticism.

Satire, English.

Political satire, English--History and criticism.

Political satire, English.

Social satire, English--History and criticism.

Social satire, English.

Caricature--England--History.

Caricature.

Genre:

Literary criticism.

Physical Description:

xiv, 800 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

History of satire in English literature

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2025]

Summary:

"This will be the first proper history of English satire, from its origins in the late medieval period to the present day. This book is a history of political satire in English literature, from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century. The aim is to present a coherent history of what has been an everchanging, complex series of literary traditions that we refer to as satire, from its beginnings in various kinds of medieval grotesque up to the proliferation of the modern novel. Author Dan Sperrin presents interesting and original insights into the satirist's paradoxical situation at both the periphery and the centre of culture. The text is organised chronologically by period and is concentrated upon canonical figures - including Chaucer, Dryden, Swift, Pope, Johnson and Dickens - but also including more obscure writers in such a way as to be focused enough to tell a story but broad enough to include variation, of which there is decidedly a great deal by the very nature of what the author describes as a mercurial literary form. Satire, as Sperrin demonstrates, often takes aim at grand narratives and comprehensive taxonomies, and the book accounts for eccentricity and individuality as a matter of principle"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1. Between two Romes (c. 500-1450)

2. The struggle for security (1485-1547)

3. Dynastic closure and regime change (1547-1653)

4. Augustan satire I (1660-1704)

5. Augustan satire II (1702-1742)

6. The fall of Walpole to the Regency (1742-1820)

7. The chaining of the eagle (1814-1900)

Conclusion. Modern satire

Notes

Works Cited

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 641-784) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Sperrin, Daniel, 1993- State of ridicule.

ISBN:

9780691195582

0691195587

OCLC:

1454731263