Review of Elices Agudo, Juan Francisco (2004). Historical and theoretical approaches to English satire. München: Lincom Studies in English Linguistics

Abstract

The origins of satire lead us to the origins of Western civilisation, both in its practice and in its earliest theorisation (Horace, Juvenal)1. Its complexity has always attracted the interest of criticism. Having this perspective in mind, the author has sought to provide a systematic analysis of satire that covers both aspects of history and theory. The work under analysis has therefore aimed to cope with those aspects which are essential to understand the peculiarities, functioning and implications of satire.