Enlightenment Subverted
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Ivo Nieuwenhuis
Abstract
This article argues that the common satirical technique of parody does not only mock the formal qualities of genres and media, but also functions as a tool for social criticism. This view is illustrated by means of a Dutch satirical case from the late eighteenth century, the almanac-like periodical De Lantaarn (1792–1801) by Pieter van Woensel. It is shown that De Lantaarn’s parody of the almanac, a genre that had strong educational and ‘Enlightening’ connotations at the time, can be interpreted as a critique on contemporary (ab)uses of the Enlightenment discourse. This ‘social criticism through parody’ is what makes satires like De Lantaarn subversive.
Abstract
This article argues that the common satirical technique of parody does not only mock the formal qualities of genres and media, but also functions as a tool for social criticism. This view is illustrated by means of a Dutch satirical case from the late eighteenth century, the almanac-like periodical De Lantaarn (1792–1801) by Pieter van Woensel. It is shown that De Lantaarn’s parody of the almanac, a genre that had strong educational and ‘Enlightening’ connotations at the time, can be interpreted as a critique on contemporary (ab)uses of the Enlightenment discourse. This ‘social criticism through parody’ is what makes satires like De Lantaarn subversive.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- About the contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Mapping the Field
- Satire and dignity 19
- The Authenticity of Play 33
- Cultural Flow 47
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Space
- Reshaping the Border Zone. An Approach to Satirical Space 61
- Mediating satire 71
- Arab Sitcom Animations as Platforms for Satire 81
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Target
- Contesting Political Boundaries in Contemporary Moroccan Satire 95
- How to Burlesque a Burlesquer 105
- Who is the ape, who the human? Reize door het Aapenland (1788) and Die Affenkönige oder die Reformation des Affenlandes (1789) considered 135
-
Rhetoric
- Looking backward. The rhetoric of the back in visual satire 147
- "A bull is a ludicrous jest": fable and the satiric bite in Arbuthnot's John Bull pamphlets 175
- Bas Jan Ader's Ludic Conceptualism 185
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Media
- Absolutely Fabulous 197
- TV Satire and its Targets 207
- Enlightenment Subverted 217
-
Time
- On the power of Money and the King of Spain's son-in- law 235
- Who are the Frogs? The Transmigration of a Symbol of Nationality 247
- Hydropathe Caricature 259
- Conclusions 269
- Index 275
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- About the contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Mapping the Field
- Satire and dignity 19
- The Authenticity of Play 33
- Cultural Flow 47
-
Space
- Reshaping the Border Zone. An Approach to Satirical Space 61
- Mediating satire 71
- Arab Sitcom Animations as Platforms for Satire 81
-
Target
- Contesting Political Boundaries in Contemporary Moroccan Satire 95
- How to Burlesque a Burlesquer 105
- Who is the ape, who the human? Reize door het Aapenland (1788) and Die Affenkönige oder die Reformation des Affenlandes (1789) considered 135
-
Rhetoric
- Looking backward. The rhetoric of the back in visual satire 147
- "A bull is a ludicrous jest": fable and the satiric bite in Arbuthnot's John Bull pamphlets 175
- Bas Jan Ader's Ludic Conceptualism 185
-
Media
- Absolutely Fabulous 197
- TV Satire and its Targets 207
- Enlightenment Subverted 217
-
Time
- On the power of Money and the King of Spain's son-in- law 235
- Who are the Frogs? The Transmigration of a Symbol of Nationality 247
- Hydropathe Caricature 259
- Conclusions 269
- Index 275
