Peeling<i>The Onion</i>: Satire and the Complexity of Audience Response

Rhetoric Review Oct 2016

Peeling<i>The Onion</i>: Satire and the Complexity of Audience Response

Jane Fife

Abstract

Satire is a popular form of comedic social critique frequently theorized in terms of Kenneth Burke’s comic frame. While its humor and unexpected combination of incongruous elements can reduce tension that surrounds controversial issues to make new perspectives more accessible, audience response to satire can vary tremendously—including the very negative as well as the very positive. Teaching satire should include exposure to rhetorical theory and audience reception analysis to better prepare students as consumers and creators of satires. With a complex, layered pedagogy, satire can be an important component of the twenty-first-century rhetor’s toolkit.

Journal: Rhetoric Review
Published: 2016-10-01
DOI: 10.1080/07350198.2016.1215000
Open Access: Closed

Citation Context

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