Satire

Comedian Lewis Black describes fundamentalism as “the inability to laugh at yourself.” Dave Barry de nes a sense of humor as “a measurement of the extent to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge.” Satire comes in many forms: printed word, image and modern visual media. Scholars, journalists and artists have been mocking social norms and human folly since ancient Greece, and this course will continue the tradition of recognizing the hypocrisies and vices of human society. Notable satirists, including Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, H.L. Mencken, Stephen Colbert, Aristophanes, David Sedaris and Joseph Heller, are just a few of the masters of wit and acerbic sarcasm that are both smarter and funnier than you.
Vlastik Svab has taught Upper School English at Collegiate for 10 years; previously, he taught honors and AP English at Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans, Louisiana. Along with teaching English 9 and Junior/Senior electives, he is also the Senior Speech program coordinator and an advisor for Collegiate’s online student newspaper, The Match.
Qualified Collegiate students – those who have earned an A- average or better in their last two semesters of English – may take this elective for Honors credit. This will, however, require additional, independent reading and writing.
For more information, contact Vlastik Svab at vsvab@collegiate-va.org.