Browse Items (10 total)

Candide by Voltaire is a satirical novella that follows a series of characters as they navigate a world filled with hardship and absurdity. Despite endless misfortunes, the characters cling to the optimistic philosophy that "all is for the best in…

Animal Farm is a satirical novella by George Orwell, written as a critique of the rise of totalitarianism and the corruption of socialist ideals. Set on an English farm, it portrays animals who rebel against their human owner to create an equal,…

This recreation of the iconic Saturday Night Live stage at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago illustrates how modern satirical performance continues traditions established by 18th-century satire. Just as satirists used public…

This is a poem excerpt from a 1722 newspaper. It includes a political call to action against the Stamp Act of 1712, stating, "No Stamp, no Track of Acts like these remain." Most people are familiar with the Stamp Act of 1765, but the Stamp Act of…

The Licensing Act of 1737 marked the beginning of a formal system of theatrical censorship in Britain. It effectively silenced oppositional voices on the stage. It gave the state the power to shut down productions, edit scripts, and blacklist…

John Gay's The Beggar's Opera uses caricature and parody to mock the corruption of both the upper class and the criminal underworld. Instead of noble heroes or virtuous leaders, Gay presents a world where thieves and politicians are barely…

In this first painting of Hogarth's Marriage A-La-Mode satirical series, Hogarth critiques the transactional nature of aristocratic marriage through dense layers of symbolism. The figures are positioned like chess pieces in a business deal to expose…

Napoleon Bonaparte was declared emperor of France in 1804, and the English statesman William Pitt sat across a dining table, each carving out a piece from a plum pudding in the shape of the world. "The diminutive Napoleon, rising from his seat to…

The Festival of the Golden Rump is a visual satire, circulated in the popular political paper Common Sense or The Englishman's Journal. Its main purpose was to critique governmental overreach and manipulation during King George II's rule. At the…

This is the first page of Samuel Johnson's periodical essay, The Rambler No. 11. In this essay, Johnson analyzes the social and personal implications of individuals lacking emotional control. There is a very theatrical leading letter that embodies…