I've shortened the list down to dead authors, whose works are now considered "literature." Pick your favourite, which may be the one that affects you the most or makes you laugh the most.

Mine is Cervantes.

Senior year of high school, we read "A Modest Proposal" in class. Everyone else was either looking uncomfortable, looking disgusted, or looking squeamish. I was the only one laughing, because I got it. To this day I think it's great.

You've read Cervantes?

I loved A Modest Proposal but I can't believe no one in your class "got it", Illumina! Maybe they got it but failed to appreciate the humour? :D

I voted for Swift but I'm a big fan of Wilde's too. I think Swift is more of a satirist than Wilde though.

They hadn't a clue. They thought he was serious. I couldn't believe they were so thick. My teacher eventually told them and THEN they got it. Granted, this teacher had a very dry sense of humor and more or less presented the piece as commentary on the troubles of the time... You know, like it was serious.

You've read Cervantes?

</font>[/QUOTE]Yes. Why are you surprised?

Juvenal, all the way man!!! ...um, mainly because he's the only satirist on your list whose work I'm familiar with ;)

Although my fav contemporary satirist would have to be Moore, he's awesome! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[ 08-07-2004, 01:00 AM: Message edited by: The Hierophant ]

Kind of a double post there, Hierophant.

I purposely left off contemporary satirists because I wanted to quarantine the left-wing/right-wing accusations to the CE forum. :D

The satirists on the list are among the giants of English literature, except for Cervantes, who's Spanish (um, why did I feel like I had to point that out? ::raps self on head: [img]smile.gif[/img] . You've been paying a little more attention to your Latin, I take it? :D


Yes, I know you were kidding.

Well, this isn't the first time you surprise me, to be honest! I've never seen you make a post that had more substantial info than a one-liner or a short reply and then I find out you read all these great books. And I just think it's a pity you never discuss them at more length. There aren't *that* many people here who read the same books as I do and I'd love to hear your opinion about them (preferably more than a single sentence long ;) ).

Well, I can imagine that for a bit if they had no clue about Swift and his reputation, but then I cannot imagine them not knowing who Swift was. ;)
In my class, most people perhaps noticed the satire, but felt it was overshadowed by the "grossness" of the proposal. Doh, isn't that the point? [img]graemlins/idontagreeatall.gif[/img]

[ 08-07-2004, 05:21 AM: Message edited by: Melusine ]

Kind of a double post? It was a full-on, unadulterated, no-holds-barred double post. I hadn't noticed it, cheers for pointing it out. All fixed. [img]smile.gif[/img]


Yeah, Classics made me do it, for better or worse.... [img]smile.gif[/img]