Feb. 05

On Juvenalian & Horatian Satire and the Ways of Transcendence

It is quite interesting to think about the motivations of Juvenalian satirists. The famous declaration made by Jonathan Swift, "to vex the world", instead of being born from the simply attributed "cynicism" or "misanthropy", ironically enough, actually originates from the innate belief in the possibilities of improvements in human society and the essential goodness of human nature. If one is merely cynical, it would make no sense at all for such fierce moral indignation, instead, one would simply shrug indifferently and walk away, which is exactly opposite to the vehement acts of a Juvenalian satirist, who is a true vindicator of social justice and liberty. Juvenalian satire, is like the rallying cry of ancient prophets, the inscriptions written in Blake's Inferno, full of energy and determination.

However, in my personal opinion, the employments of good humor is important as well, which can be considered one of the characteristics of Horatian satire, like the tone adopted in the mock-heroic narrative poem The Rape of the Lock written by Alexander Pope, for the "serious" pathway towards transcendence is spiritual enlightenment while the "unserious" one is light-hearted laughter, both of which have the power to dissolve the narrow confinement established by ego consciousness and lead us towards a more elevated and broadened view of reality.