According to the first paragraph of "Of Satire," what is the purpose of satire? What does Dryden say in the second paragraph is the type of satire he admires most, and to what does he attribute one's ability to use this type of satire successfully? What words does he use to show his disapproval of harsher forms of satire?
Dryden believes that the purpose of satire is to make the wicked realize all the evil they have done. Satire is supposed to point out how foolish they are and “hinder” them from doing more sin (Horton, 382).
Dryden admires satire that is of gentle mockery and written with subtlety. He believes that a person is born with the ability to write well. However, people that are not born with this ability shouldn’t try to imitate a person that has the ability because they would not have the subtlety in their writing and would be unsuccessful.
Dryden uses word such as “fool”, “blockhead”, and “knave” as examples of what a harsher form of satire would be (Horton, 382). With a well written satire, there would be subtlety thus being less insulting and possibly reach the person better. Dryden believes that it takes a lot of skills to be able to write like this and not use harsh words.
Dryden, John. "Of Satire." British Literature. Ed. Ronald H. Horton. Greenville, SC: BJU Press, 2003. 382-383. Print
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