Menippean satire is a form of satire, usually in prose, characterized by attacking mental attitudes rather than specific individuals or entities. It combines elements of allegory, picaresque narrative and satirical commentary, and frequently incorporates parody, mythological burlesque and critiques of traditional cultural myths through a fragmented narrative and shifting perspectives.
Facts
Place of OriginMenippean satire takes its name from Menippus, a third century BC Syro-Phoenician Cynic parodist and polemicist, placing the form's origin in the Hellenistic Greek-speaking world of the eastern Mediterranean. 1 Notable ExampleSeneca the Younger's Apocolocyntosis, or Pumpkinification, an irreverent parody of the deification of the Emperor Claudius, is the only near complete classical Menippean satire to survive. 1 Defining TraitMenippean satire is characterized by attacking mental attitudes rather than specific individuals or entities, frequently combining allegory, picaresque narrative and parody within a fragmented, shifting narrative. 1 Connections
Sources
1. Menippean satire (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, naming sentence
The form is named after the third-century-BC Syro-Phoenician Cynic parodist and polemicist Menippus.
Lead section, definition sentence
characterized by attacking mental attitudes rather than specific individuals or entities
Classical antiquity section, Seneca paragraph
Seneca the Younger, whose Apocolocyntosis, or "Pumpkinification", is the only near-complete classical Menippean satire to survive.
In Group: Satire and Parody Forms, Lead section
The genre of Menippean satire is a form of satire, usually in prose, that is characterized by attacking mental attitudes rather than specific individuals or entities.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.