24 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
George Orwell's 1945 allegorical novella — in which farm animals overthrow their farmer only to find the pigs establishing a new tyranny — the most widely read anti-Stalinist allegorical fiction.
Voltaire's 1759 philosophical satire — following the naive Candide through disasters and absurdities as he tests and abandons Leibnizian optimism — the definitive Enlightenment satirical novella and the most widely read 18th-century French prose work.
Joseph Heller's 1961 satirical novel set in a WWII American bomber squadron — following Yossarian's attempts to be grounded as insane in a war where the insanity is institutional — which became the defining anti-war novel of American literature.
American satirical novelist — son of William F. Buckley Jr. — author of Thank You for Smoking, Little Green Men, and The Judge Hunter — former chief speechwriter for George H.W. Bush — one of the wittiest writers in American political life.
Martial's collection of about 1,500 epigrams — written 86–103 CE — satirizing Roman social life with wit, obscenity, and acute observation — the foundation of the epigram as a literary form.
Gloria Steinem's 1978 satirical essay imagining a world where men menstruated — arguing that whatever the dominant group does becomes valorized, so menstruation would be treated as a sign of power and virility if men experienced it.
A 1968 British film by Lindsay Anderson in which a group of rebellious public school boys mount a violent uprising against their school's oppressive traditions.
Anglo-Irish satirist who wrote Gulliver's Travels and A Modest Proposal — the greatest satirist in the English language — whose savage irony exposed the stupidity of human pride, political corruption, and the brutal logic of colonialism in Ireland.
American novelist whose Catch-22 — based on his WWII experience as a bombardier — became the defining satirical American novel of the 20th century and the source of a cultural catchphrase for paradoxical bureaucratic logic.
Roman satirist — author of 16 Satires — who attacked Rome's moral corruption with savage wit — whose phrases ('bread and circuses'; 'who watches the watchmen?') have survived as Latin quotations for 2,000 years.
American novelist and humanist whose Slaughterhouse-Five — based on his experience surviving the Dresden firebombing as a POW — combined science fiction with anti-war satire and an unflinching examination of time, free will, and mass death.
Roman poet — born in Spain — author of 12 books of Epigrams — who created the satirical epigram as a literary form and is the most acute observer of Roman social life in antiquity.
Canadian novelist and essayist — author of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, The Incomparable Atuk, and Barney's Version — the greatest Canadian novelist — whose combination of social satire and Jewish-Canadian experience is without peer.
A 1976 satirical film by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky about a TV news anchor who has a breakdown on air and becomes a prophet of mass rage, whose explosive popularity the network exploits.
American comedy podcast featuring irreverent storytelling and cultural commentary — part of the independent comedy podcast ecosystem.
Michael Knowles's 2017 satirical 'book' — whose pages are intentionally blank (the joke being there are no reasons to vote for Democrats) — which became an Amazon #1 bestseller through coordinated pre-orders, demonstrating internet-native political publishing.
Juvenal's 16 Roman satires — written 100–127 CE — attacking Rome's moral corruption, imperial sycophancy, women, and foreigners with savage wit — the most morally severe Roman satire and the source of the phrase 'bread and circuses.'
HBO drama series created by Jesse Armstrong following the Roy family — owners of a global media and hospitality conglomerate — as they fight over succession in a darkly comic tragedy of late capitalism and family dysfunction.
Bernard Mandeville's 1714 satirical poem and prose commentary — arguing that a prosperous hive of bees is built on private vices (envy, luxury, fraud) and that making the hive virtuous destroys its prosperity — the most provocative early defense of commercial society.
American satirical news organization founded in Madison, Wisconsin in 1988 — which became the most influential satirical publication in American journalism history, producing news parody that frequently revealed more truth about American culture than straight journalism.
Tim Dillon's satirical political comedy podcast — one of the most distinctive voices in independent media, known for its anti-establishment dark comedy across the political spectrum.
French Enlightenment philosopher, satirist, and historian — author of Candide, Philosophical Dictionary, and Letters on the English — who championed reason, religious tolerance, and civil liberties — the defining figure of the French Enlightenment.
2000 American Psycho film directed by Mary Harron — adapted from Bret Easton Ellis's 1991 novel — starring Christian Bale as investment banker Patrick Bateman — a savage satire of 1980s Wall Street masculinity, consumerism, and the hollowness of identity.
American animated satirical TV series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone — debuted 1997 on Comedy Central — set in the fictional Colorado town of South Park — featuring four elementary school boys — the most sustained, incisive, and equal-opportunity satirical television series in American broadcast history.