History of Satire in American Literature 4219-SC011
The course aims to present a survey of satire in American literature: its early days in the folk oral tradition (satirical storytelling in American colonies, black slave quarters, and Native American tribes); first American comic writings (Washington Irving); antebellum/abolitionist political satire (David Walker); post-Reconstruction vernacular tradition (Mark Twain, Charles W. Chesnutt); the satire of the Harlem Renaissance (Langston Hughes, Wallace Thurman, George Schuyler); the satirical humor of the pre- (Ralph Ellison, Dick Gregory) and post-Civil Rights Era (Ishmael Reed); Black Power satire (Malcolm X); early and contemporary feminist comic writing (Zora Neale Hurston, Fran Ross, Tina Fey); postmodern satire (Kurt Vonnegut, Thomas Pynchon, Percival Everett); satirical memoirs (Baratunde Thurston, Angela Nissel, Issa Rae); literary companions to television satire and stand-up comedy (Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, George Carlin); contemporary satires of race and ethnicity (Junot Diaz, Paul Beatty, Colson Whitehead); the most popular/acclaimed mainstream satirists of the twenty-first century (George Saunders, David Sedaris); as well as online (The Onion), interactive (Cultivated Wit), and Artificial-Intelligence-generated satire (The Bots of New York). The course will be complemented by critical texts on the philosophy of humor (John Morreall, Simon Critchley), the New Sincerity movement (David Foster Wallace), and the inner workings of irony and parody (Wayne Booth, Linda Hutcheon) in the context of American satire.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, students should:
- expand their knowledge about the history and most recent developments in American literary satire (i.e., its main characteristics, subgenres, and their development throughout the centuries)
- be familiar with the basics of the philosophy of humor (superiority, incongruity, and relief theories of humor, as well as the inner workings of irony and parody in literary satire) and use it during in-class discussions
- be able to formulate their thoughts on various topics related to humor/satire, and use this skill in online discussions, in-person brainstorming sessions, and (mock) debates
- display an increased fluency in literary and cultural analyses
Assessment criteria
The course is conceptualized as a series of seminars. Thus, students must familiarize themselves with the assigned readings before discussing them in class. Students’ activity is crucial, and it includes preparation for each class (reading and commenting on selected texts on Perusall), pair work (debating selected questions from Perusall in pairs or small groups), and participation in class-wide discussions (led by the instructor).
The final grade will be comprised of:
30 % - preparation (i.e., reading assignments, commenting, and taking part in online discussions on Perusall)
30 % - class participation/being active
40 % - final assignment
When it comes to the final assignment, each student can choose between: A.) writing an academic essay (two to four pages); B.) creating a video essay; or C.) recording a podcast/discussion on a topic of their choice. All forms require creating a bibliography of references. No matter the type of assignment, the instructor will provide guidance, tutorials, and technical support.
Bibliography
The following texts will be read in fragments – typically, two or three short pieces per class – and subsequently commented on via Perusall (an Internet platform for close reading and online conversation via comment threads) and during in-class discussions.
The instructor will provide all the text fragments and other class materials on Perusall and/or OneDrive. The list might be modified to accommodate new publications and students’ interests.
Selected readings:
ORAL TRADITION AND EARLY SATIRICAL LITERATURE
selected tall tales from:
Regina Barreca, “The Signet Book of American Humor”
Mel Watkins, “African American Humor”
Richard Erdoes, “American Indian Trickster Tales”
ABOLITIONIST AND POSTBELLUM SATIRE
David Walker, “Appeal”
Mark Twain, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and/or a selection of Twain’s essays
Charles W. Chesnutt, “The Conjure Woman”
HARLEM RENAISSANCE
Langston Hughes, Jesse B. Semple tales
Wallace Thurman, “Infants of the Spring”
George Schuyler, “Black No More”
1950s, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND BLACK POWER
Ralph Ellison, “Invisible Man”
Dick Gregory, “[N-word]: An Autobiography”
Malcolm X, “Message to the Grassroots”
EARLY AND CONTEMPORARY FEMINIST COMIC WRITING
Zora Neale Hurston, “How it Feels to be Colored Me” and/or folktales in “Mules and Men”
Fran Ross, “Oreo”
Tina Fey, “Bossypants” and/or Amy Poehler, “Yes, Please”
BOOKS BY TELEVISION SATIRISTS AND STAND-UP COMEDIANS
Jon Stewart, “America (The Book): A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction”
Stephen Colbert, “America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t”
George Carlin, “Brain Droppings”
SATIRICAL MEMOIRS
Baratunde Thurston, “How to be Black”
Angela Nissel, “Broke Diaries”
Issa Rae, “Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl”
POSTMODERN SATIRE
Kurt Vonnegut, “Slaughterhouse-Five”
Ishmael Reed, “Mumbo Jumbo”
Thomas Pynchon, “Inherent Vice”
Percival Everett, “Glyph” and/or “Erasure”
SATIRE OF RACE/ETHNICITY
Junot Diaz, “The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao”
Paul Beatty, “White Boy Shuffle” or “The Sellout”
Colson Whitehead, “Sag Harbor”
21st-CENTURY MAINSTREAM
George Saunders, “The Tenth of December”
David Sedaris, “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls”
ONLINE, INTERACTIVE, AND A.I.-GENERATED SATIRE
The Onion
The Bots of New York
Interactive satire of the Cultivated Wit media company
CRITICAL TEXTS
Simon Critchley, “On Humour”
John Morreall, “The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor”
David Foster Wallace, “E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction”
Wayne Booth, “A Rhetoric of Irony”
Linda Hutcheon, “A Theory of Parody”
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: