User:Onelinerprivateer/Utopian and dystopian fiction

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Put simply, fiction is defined as a story, object, or even a set of beliefs that are held to not be true. Fiction novels, stories, and movies can explore the possibilities of conception and bring together worlds that are eons apart. Fiction revolves around creative and imaginative elements and is an escape from factual truth. It also allows us to safely explore differing perspectives, alternate emotions, and various themes in life and beyond. The true power and essence of fiction, is its ability to convey a plethora of complex emotions and ideals in a way that is simultaneously entertaining and captivating.

The fictional genre can be traced back to ancient times, when storytelling was a prominent form of entertainment, as well as communication. As time went on and societies grew, fiction made its way into the popular literature of the day: epic poems, myths, fables, etc. The writings of Dickens, Twain, and Shakespeare shaped the modern concept of fiction as we know it today. Their works not only entertained readers, but also gave insight on the human condition, allowing readers to reflect on their own experiences in life.

Today, across various platforms, fiction plays a central role in entertainment. Mainstream media from novels, to movies, to video games are all primary examples of the way fiction permeates our culture. It has evolved from its historical roots, now enabling escapism and stepping more richly into other realms of the world and universe at large. Additionally, fiction remains an outlet for social commentary and fostering empathy by showing a representative and diverse group of perspectives and characters.

Satire is an artistic form of expression that primarily uses humor, ridicule, and irony to critique the human condition, human error, and vices. This genre aims to provoke thought, prompt introspection, and emphasize characters' shortcomings. Satire challenges long-standing institutions, schools of thought, and ways of behaving to expose the contradictions and flaws of entire societies, down to individual people. It reflects flaws and shortcomings like a mirror to humanity, prompting both laughter and contemplation.

Satire's origins can also be traced back to ancient times, and examples can be found in the work of the playwright Aristophanes and the like. Rome's Horace and Juvenal helped advance satire through the ages, as well as prominent Renaissance and Enlightenment figures. Over time, satire branched out into many different forms, such as visual art, theatre, magazines, newspapers, television, and even the internet.

Satire remains a vital tool in today's society, mainly for political and social commentary. Satiric works, such as political cartoons, satiric news shows, and comedy sketches provides a humorous lens through which the audience can critically engage with current societal, social, and judicial issues. Satiric productions often showcase pressing issues and/or people like political figures, cultural norms, societal trends, sparking much needed discussions through the power of humor.

Satire as fiction may seem like an obvious connection to make, considering the nature of both, but is it really? Is it safe to say that satire is considered fiction? How can we say which of the many types of fiction is satirical?

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The name "satire" comes from the latin word "saturated," which means primarily "full" and then came to mean "a mixture full of different things. (Highet 1962 pg. 231) This indicates that the word was used in a culinary domain due to the nature of making different types of food. Food is, in essence, a mixture full of different things. The spelling "satira" or "satyra" only came in after the classical period, largely so that scholars could explain the shocking coarseness of satire. It was said to be inspired by the funny obscene satyr-folk. (Highet 1962 pg. 232) There are two main ideas of the purpose of satire, as well as two different types of satirist.

One likes most people, but thinks they are rather blind and foolish. They tell the truth with a smile, as not to repel the audience, but cure them of that ignorance which is their worst fault. The other hates or despises most people. They believe that rascality is triumphant in their world, therefore, their aim is not to cure, but to wound, punish, and/or destroy. (Highet 1962 pg. 235) Since there are two different types of satirist, there are naturally two different views of the purpose of satire.

The optimist writes in order to heal, the pessimist in order to punish. (Highet 1962 pg. 237) We can compare the optimist to a physician and the pessimist to an executioner. The optimist sees a world in which the natural condition of man is health, although recklessness ensues round us in the forms of stupidity, disease, and drug peddlers wandering around among us. The pessimist sees a world in utter chaos filled with criminals, drug-addicts, morons, and savages - essentially animals in human form. (Highet 1962 pg. 237) To them, such a world has no remedy.

To answer the question: Is satire considered fiction? Let's first look a little deeper into what satire actually is and what it usually looks like. According to Highet, "Satire is one of the most original, challenging, and memorable forms [of entertainment]. It pictures real men and women, often in lurid (shocking/gruesome) colors, but always with unforgettable clarity. It uses bold and vivid language of its time, avoiding stale clichés and dead conventions." (pg. 3) From this, it is evident that satire is drawn from, or inspired by, real life, people, culture, and events. Highet even said that in the work of the finest satirists, there is a minimum of convention and a maximum of reality.

With that in mind, let's discuss some characteristic features of satire. Satire usually addresses things on a topical level, meaning there is more so just talk about a solution, than an actual resolution and solution, so to speak. It also claims to be realistic, even though satire is known for being exaggerated and/or distorted. It is shocking, informal, and almost always funny in a grotesque or painful manner. (Highet 1962 pg. 5) Satire sometimes looks at reality as a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, deserving nothing but a bitter laugh. (Highet 1962 pg. 11)

Satire takes on three main shapes:

1) monologues - a satirist is either speaking in their own voice or behind a mask that usually is not intended to obscure identity and they address us directly... the structure states the satirist's view of a problem, cites examples, critiques opponents, and tries to impose their view on their audience

2) parodies - a satirist takes a existing work which was created with a serious purpose and makes it look ridiculous by infusing it with irrelevant ideas, exaggerating aesthetic devices, and/or putting it in an inappropriate form

3) narratives - although the satirist themselves do not usually appear here at all, these can be stories or dramatic fictions

(Highet 1962 pgs. 13-14)

The subject matter of satire is diverse. Its vocabulary and stylistic texture are difficult to mistake. Most satiric writing contains trivial, comic, cruel, dirty, and colloquial anti-literary words. They do this in order to maintain a certain element of surprise in the plot and actions of characters. The narrative must be interesting, and it must be well told. But for the satirist, the narrative is not the end, it is the means. Sometimes this fact is concealed and it is made pretend that they are reporting actually occurrences "just as they happened." (Highet 1962 pg. 148)

A story which successfully produces and sustains a complex emotion(s) is a successful satiric narrative. Satire can be mistaken for other forms of art, unless its emotional and moral effects are clearly defined and understood. This leads the discussion to the first two movies of the Hunger Games Franchise. The original movie is basically about a girl from an underserved district in a futuristic dystopian society called Panem. Instead of letting her little sister get drafted for a fight to the death in an event hosted by the capital, the main character, Katniss, volunteered in her place. The movie then follows her to the brutal end where she and the other tribute from her district made history as a couple of victors.

Reminder: satire is an artistic form of expression that primarily uses humor, ridicule, and irony to critique the human condition, human error, and vices. There are certain one liners or scenes that are humorous in each of the first two movies. The first one that comes to mind is in the Catching Fire where Johanna asks Peeta to unzip her dress while still in the moving elevator. An example from the first movie is when there is a misunderstanding about a knife during group training before the games, and it was soon revealed that Rue, while suspended in the air by some netting attached to the ceiling, had the knife in question. A dialogue that was humorous was from the second movie when Katniss walked into her home in Victor's Village and threw a small pot of water on Haymitch to wake him. Katniss told Haymitch to shower before the cameras got there in an hour, and he replied "I just did."

The whole entire plot of the movies is an introduction to and blatant ridicule of the system Panem operates under. Citizens were so indoctrinated at the beginning, that there was minimal security at the original reaping. As the first movie progressed, and subsequent movies came out, more and more Peacekeepers were present in different scenes throughout the productions. The second movie is full of irony, the most poignant example being the way past victors were the only people in the pool of tributes for the 75th games. Both movies also challenge old schools of thought, ways of behaving, and old societal structures.

Although a hallmark of satire is that it is supposed to be funny and The Hunger Games is not a "funny" movie per se, there are still strong elements of satiric work at play here. There is a good use of monologues in these movies. Usually the monologues are a precursor to something major that us about to happen, so they are important to the plot development. The emotional and moral effects, whether you understand them or not, were powerful in both movies. When Katniss volunteers for her sister, Prim, the scenes have the cadence of impending doom interwoven into it. When the capital announces that the pool of tributes will be exclusively former victors for the 75th games, there was an immense sense of dread and unbelievability to it.