Horatian Satire

It's often difficult to distinguish between light-hearted and scathing satire. Is the writer gently mocking the characters' faults, or do they condemn their actions? Identifying whether a satire is Horatian or Juvenalian can help us answer these questions. Horatian and Juvenalian satires are treated as two opposites in literature, but the distinction isn't always so clear. Ultimately, it is up to audiences to decide whether a satire is light-hearted or serious, Horatian or Juvenalian.

Two of the greatest Horatian satires in the English language are Alexander Pope's 1712 mock-heroic poem 'The Rape of the Lock' (rape meaning stolen) about an aristocratic lady who has a lock of her hair stolen by her suitor; and Oscar Wilde's satirical play, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895), about two men who adopt different names in the country to avoid their social duties.

Origins of Horatian satire: modes of writing

Satire is both a literary genre and a literary device. Satire can be directed at individuals, groups, institutions, society, and even humanity as a whole. By exposing folly and vice, satire seeks to bring about change in the world.

Literary history of Horatian satire

Horatian satire is a type of satire that originated with the ancient poet Horace (65–8 BCE). During the Augustan Age, Horace wrote one of the greatest periods of Latin literature, which lasted from around 43 BC to 18 AD. Horace's satires were light-hearted and indulgent. His satires were more about being clever and witty than about conveying a serious moral message. In The Satires (published circa 35-33 BC), Horace lightly mocked defects such as greed and lust.

The eighteenth century had its own 'Augustan period', as writers such as Alexander Pope, Johnathan Swift, and Joseph Addison adopted the term. Pope and others called themselves Augustans because they were trying to emulate the greatness of the original Augustan poets in their own works.

Pope's adoption of Horace's light-hearted and indulgently clever approach to satire in his own satirical poetry contributed greatly to Pope's success. His satirical poem, 'The Rape of the Lock' (1712), is a satire written in the style of Horace's satires.

The eighteenth century is known as the golden age of satire. The other type that became popular was Juvenalian satire, named after the Ancient poet Juvenal, whose satires aimed to evoke indignation and contempt for the satirised subjects.

Definition of Horatian satire

The light-hearted and tolerant satirical intent and tone of Horatian satire set this type of satire apart from others.

Horatian satire is often aimed at:

1. A public figure or institution: the flaws and follies of a public figure or institution are gently criticised and mocked.
2. Humanity: Horatian satire is often broadly aimed at "humanity", its vices and follies. For example, greed and hypocrisy are almost universal vices that humans across time and place unfortunately share.
3. Society: Horatian satires also target "society" to which the satirist belongs. Horatian satire mocks society's excesses in the hopes of reforming it.

Satire puts its audience and readers on the spot; the audience must assess whether they share the flaws and vices depicted in the satirical work. If this is the case, in a Horatian satire, they are invited to laugh at their own folly.

The purpose of Horatian satire is to amuse the reader or audience and inspire change in society.

Characteristics in Horatian and Juvenalian satire

We can best understand the characteristics of Horatian satire by contrasting them to the characteristics of Juvenalian satire.

Exaggerated depiction of trivial events

This is known as inflation. Inflation is the act of exaggerating a trivial event and ironically giving it more importance than it deserves. Inflation mocks the triviality of the real events or real behaviours they depict.

Diminution

Diminution boils down events and behaviours to a few basic elements to make them ridiculous.

Wit

Indulgent uses of wit are common in Horatian plays.

The consistent use of wit in the narration or dialogue of satires distinguishes this type of satire, as it adds an indulgent element to the satire. Horatian satirists delight in the clever ways they have managed to satirise their subjects and the ridicule they are subjected to.

Examples of Horatian satire

Let's take a deep dive into two famous examples of Horatian satire.

'The Rape of the Lock' (1712) by Alexander Pope

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) is known as one of the greatest poets and satirists. 'The Rape of the Lock' by Alexander Pope was the first mock-epic poem.

Pope's poem is a parody of Homer's epic poem 'The Iliad' (written in the 8th-century BCE), which is about the last year of the Trojan War. Pretty lofty subject matter. Pope adopts this lofty form to mock a feud between two aristocratic families. The poem is a Horatian satire because it does not condemn the aristocrats' behaviour, but instead comically exaggerates the severity of the incident. For example, in the second canto, the suitor is described as performing a ritual, lighting an altar on fire, and praying to the gods to obtain a lock of Belinda's hair in the second canto.

By the end of the poem, Belinda's lock of hair is lost and has risen to the heavens and become a star. Nothing odd about that!

Now that the lost lock of hair has become a star, Belinda's beauty will forever be immortalised in the night sky. This ending is very ludicrous and comic - truly Horatian.

The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) by Oscar Wilde

The importance of Being Earnest is a Horatian satire play, as it is a play that indulges in its own cleverness. It presents a clever mockery of Victorian upper-class society that aims to make the uptight Victorians sitting in the audience laugh themselves out of their folly and vices.

In the play, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff lead double lives, using their real names in the city and made-up names in the country to escape their social duties. The action revolves around the comical problems caused by their double identities. Jack, for example, wants to marry the aristocrat Gwendolen, but her mother objects as Jack doesn't belong to the aristocracy. In the end, Jack discovers that he was of aristocratic rank all along and is finally able to marry Gwendolen.

One way in which Wilde constructs a self-indulgent Horatian satire is through the indulgent over-use of witty statements, which often take unexpected turns of logic. This indulgent wit keeps the tone of the play light-hearted and also serves the moral function of satirising the shallowness of his upper-class characters and of the British upper-classes which they represent.

Some examples of witty lines of dialogue from the play are:

Limits to Horatian satire

By lightly mocking the behaviour of upper-class Victorians, does Wilde uphold Britain's outdated and flawed class system and other repressive institutions? Should Wilde's satire be more scathing and Juvenalian? The difficulty with satire is that it is a dangerous art form: because it challenges societies and institutions, satirical texts were often at risk of being censored.

In Wilde's play, order is restored in the end and the characters are rewarded for their folly, rather than punished. But the happy ending with marriage can in itself be seen as a satire on the Well-Made Play genre. A reading of the overtly Horatian tone of Wilde's play as concealing a Juvenalian message is certainly valid.

Pope's light-hearted satire of two real aristocratic families was also likely to not bode well with them if it had been Juvenalian.

Perhaps Horatian satires' emphasis on light-heartedness and comedy reduces its political efficacy, as it lets flawed individuals get away with their prejudices and wrongdoings. On the other hand, Horatian satire may pose a meaningful challenge to society's evils beyond its light-hearted surface.

Identifying a satire's tone as either Horatian or Juvenalian helps us to better grasp its meaning. But in cases where a satire doesn't fall into either of these categories, it might be impractical to try to shove them into these opposing categories. It may be better to ask other questions of a satire: does it have overt political intent? What is the political function of satire in literature?