Forms of Satire in American Literature

elective courses

The course aims to present a survey of satirical forms in American literature and culture: from the folk oral tradition; the first American comic writings; abolitionist political satire; postbellum vernacular tradition; the satire of the Harlem Renaissance; the satirical humor of the pre- and post-Civil Rights Era; Black Power satire; feminist comic writing; postmodern satire; satirical memoirs; satirical books written by stand-up comedians; contemporary satires of race and ethnicity; the most popular and acclaimed mainstream satirists of the twenty-first century; as well as online and Artificial-Intelligence-driven satire. The course will be complemented by critical texts on philosophy and theory of humor, including the inner workings of irony and parody in the context of American satire.

The course aims to present a survey of satire in American literature and culture: from 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 feminist comic writing (Zora Neale Hurston, Fran Ross); postmodern satire (Kurt Vonnegut, 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 (Steven Gimbel, Paul Simpson, Terry Eagleton).

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 of the text fragments and other class materials on Perusall and/or OneDrive. The list might be modified to accommodate new publications and students’ interests.

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 POST-BELLUM SATIRE

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

Ishmael Reed, “Mumbo Jumbo”

Kurt Vonnegut, “Slaughterhouse-Five”

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

Paul Simpson, “On the Discourse of Satire”

Steven Gimbel, “The Philosophy of Humor”

Terry Eagleton, “Humour”

Knowledge

Students will be able to:

- K_W01 - Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of Humor Studies within the humanities

- K_W02 - Describe on an advanced level the current trends in American literary satire and Humor Studies

- K_W03 - Identify the essential issues, main methods and theories in research in the realm of Humor Studies and American literary satire

- K_W04 - Characterize on an advanced level the principles of research design in literary and culture studies with special focus on the application of methods and tools in formulating research problems in the realm of Humor Studies/American literary satire

Abilities

Students will be able to:

- K_U01 - Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline of Humor Studies within literary and cultural studies

- K_U03 - Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to American satire and the discipline of literary studies and/or cultural studies

- K_U04 - Analyze literary and cultural phenomena as expressed in American satire and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level

- K_U06 - Find information in various sources and critically assess its usefulness for research related to the topic of the MA project and the final assignment

- K_U07 - Use modern technology in the process of learning and communicating with academic teachers, colleagues, representatives of various institutions and fellow participants in classes and projects, applying various channels and techniques of communication (specifically, use Perusall.com during the course to close read and comment upon assigned texts, and employ modern research and editing tools to create a video essay or a podcast episode for the final assignment)

- K_U08 - Participate in group projects, collaborate with others and be a team leader in conducting collaborative research, doing groupwork, and preparing the final assignment

Social competences

Students will be ready to:

- K_K02 - Apply knowledge and skills obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning in the realm of Humor Studies and American literary satire

- K_K03 - Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to course and the discipline of Humor Studies, literary studies, and cultural studies

- K_K05 - Participate in academic and cultural undertakings in the realm of Humor Studies and American literary satire offered via various media

- K_K06 - Value cultural heritage and cultural diversity as well as individual opinions as exemplified in American literary satire

Education at language level C2

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.com)

30 % - class participation/being active

40 % - final assignment

Final/term assignment. Each student can choose between: A.) writing a term paper (two to four pages); B.) creating a video essay; or C.) recording a podcast/discussion on a topic related to the course.

All forms require creating a bibliography of references. No matter the type of assignment, the instructor will provide guidance, tutorials, and technical support.

Assessment methods and criteria:

- attendance

- class participation/being active

- preparation/homework (i.e., reading assignments, commenting, and taking part in online discussions on Perusall.com)

- final assignment (term paper, video essay, or a recorded podcast discussion)

3 absences are allowed