Glorieta Christian Writers Conference
Writing Christian Satire
Class Notes
"It is my belief that satire is one of the unclaimed charismata, a step-child
of Pentecost. We seldom hear teaching about St. Charles, patron saint of
ushers, who was snagged from the sidelines that day in Jerusalem to help
take the offering and count the crowd. In addition to that important role,
St. Chuck began uttering hilarious disclaimers about fraudulent tongues of
fire, and then launched into a parody featuring lessons in unknown languages
on CDs available in a wonderful gift pack.”
What is it?
- Satire aims at a target (victim)
- Satire makes a statement.
- Satire is often subtle.
- Satire combines fiction and non-fiction; it often stretches the truth to extravagant proportions to draw logical lines into the future to make the point.
- Satire exposes the infection, but does not describe the cure.
- Satire complicates emotions – you laugh, you cry, and you get all riled up
- The goal of satire is change: opinions, or the conditions it seeks to exploit.
- Satire causes pain. If it is good satire, it is good pain.
Types of satire:
|
Type |
Description |
Example |
|
Allegory |
Deep elements, serious, extremely wry and dry.
|
Animal Farm |
|
Story-telling |
The satire is woven into the fabric of a tale, but may not be in every aspect of the tale (a la allegorical satire).
|
Bill Bryson; Hitchhiker’s Guide; Garrison Keillor; Donald Miller; SNL; 30 Rock |
|
Editorial |
Opinion that mocks the status quo or prevailing political correctness
|
A Modest Proposal |
|
Journalistic |
Purporting to be news. |
Lark News; Field Guide; some of Wittenberg Door; The Colbert Report; The Holy Observer;
|
|
Parody: Form-Specific |
Journalistic may be the most often used, but others might include a menu, or a church bulletin, or a church newsletter, or an order of service, or a twelve-step group, or a catalogue, or a match.com website, or some other spring-board from the news.
|
The Mess; Reality Church; Whatever Worketh; Landover Baptist; |
Is there such a thing as Biblical Satire?
Is “Christian” satire: an oxymoron?
Can we write satire that is Christian?
How to write effective satire that is Christian:
Satire cuts into an issue like a surgeon cuts skin and muscle. For a quick
course in effective satire, substitute "satirist" with the word surgeon in
this list:
- A good surgeon's goal is healing, not injury.
- A good surgeon knows that the process of healing often must hurt.
- A good surgeon has familiarity with the patient and sensitivity to their tolerance for pain.
- A good surgeon knows exactly where to cut.
- A good surgeon uses a sharp blade.
- A good surgeon uses the best anesthesia.
- A good surgeon has studied and practiced and knows what he/she is doing.
- A good surgeon knows that infection must be exposed to be healed.
- A good surgeon offers follow-up when necessary.
Robert Harris
Originally published: August 20, 1990
Version Date: October 24, 2004
The best satire does not seek to do harm or damage by its ridicule, unless we speak of damage to the structure of vice, but rather it seeks to create a shock of recognition and to make vice repulsive so that the vice will be expunged from the person or society under attack or from the person or society intended to benefit by the attack (regardless of who is the immediate object of attack); whenever possible this shock of recognition is to be conveyed through laughter or wit: the formula for satire is one of honey and medicine. Far from being simply destructive, satire is implicitly constructive.
© Ron Benson 2008. For Reprint Please Use Feedback Form