HowTo:Read satire
“I don't believe I've ever heard of such a word.”
Reading satire is among the most coveted skills among the young adult audience for humour all over the world. It has therefore become a necessity to write a guide that will help the young and inexperienced reader understand the complexities of structure, the handling of subject matter, the language and, most importantly, the humorous nuances of satirical writing. While this short article is just that, a short article, and cannot easily fulfill the needs of every individual reader, it will nevertheless provide useful guidelines for reading and understanding satire. We would modestly propose that should you endeavour to learn more about the matter a prolonged and detailed study would benefit you greatly, allowing you, too, to one day speak with authority (or in some cases, speak at all) on the subject.
What this article does[edit]
This article will teach the casual reader the deepest mysteries of reading satire so that it is read correctly, according to the rules of reading satire as defined in chapter III of Thomas Payne's Encyclopaedia of all things humorous betwixt Heaven and Earth. For samples of satire, we have chosen articles right here on Uncyclopedia, so the reader doesn't have to bother searching for our sources elsewhere, absolutely wasting his time. We do take our readers' needs into consideration! For those of you who are not certain whether reading this article is worthwhile - rest assured: after reading it, you will no longer need to ponder every sentence in any text labeled "satire". Instead, the world of this highly entertaining branch of humour will be open to you like a book!
How this article works[edit]
Each headline represents an article on Uncyclopedia. Simply clicking on the headline will take you directly to the article! Clever, isn't it? You are witnessing one of the miracles of modern computer technology in all its glory! After reading the article - or as much of it as you have time to read - you can read the comment on it below the headline in this article. The comments have been written by some of our most acclaimed experts on satire. This will give you perfect tools for understanding the article. After that, if you want to, you can re-read the article with the fresh model insight you have just gained. Nothing could be easier!
Without further ado, let us hop right into it! Happy laughs!
The sample articles[edit]
UnBooks:The Stranger[edit]
Comment. I don't know... this is all kinda weird. While the article is very well written, I don't see a real point to it. What was the priest doing with the sock? What happened to the dog? How can we be certain the protagonist's mother really was dead?
Dead Nigger Storage[edit]
Comment. I don't even need to click on the link, I just know that this article will be the worst.
I Fucking Hate the Bermuda Triangle[edit]
Comment. While the subject matter is worthwhile and the formatting outshines just about anything else on the site, the article is a tad too short. It may also be a bit too long.
Butler[edit]
Comment. I would be hard put to understand why anyone would hire a criminal as a butler. Otherwise the article is just fine!
Sissy McDeathDeath[edit]
Comment. One of the best wrestling-related articles on Uncyclopedia! The addition of the word "poo" by an IP is a nice touch indeed. I wish we had more articles like this!
UnBooks:Professional wrestling slang[edit]
Comment. Listcruft, and the mention of fermented sugars somehow clashes with the overall style. Otherwise a great article, well worth the time spent.
Cremaster Cycle[edit]
Comment. I didn't get it until the "insane" template appeared on the page. Now it's satirical - but it still has some problems. It is not funny enough, and when you think about it a second time, it does make you laugh - but at inappropriate intervals. I would not consider this article humorous at all, within the normal limits of humorousness, even if it may be slightly satirical given the context.
Meaning of life[edit]
Comment. Five years in the writing, this nugget of satirical satire is an article that everyone should read before my edits vanish from it. It is now the way it should be. Read it and learn. I have spoken.
Asperger Syndrome[edit]
Comment. This article cannot be serious. It is not funny the way I see it.
Assburger's syndrome[edit]
Comment. The article uses a lot of its volume to describe different kinds of ways in which a mental disorder can manifest itself, while its title suggests an article that deals with hamburgers made of donkeys. I do understand the wordplay, but cannot admit much value to such an article as this one. Alea jacta est.
War Machine[edit]
Comment. This article is a joke, it appears. We can safely say that a sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles. Also, a sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke - and that the joke is oneself. A sense of humor... is needed armor, too. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life, some might say. I have also heard that a taste for irony has kept more hearts from breaking than a sense of humor, for it takes irony to appreciate the joke which is on oneself. A well-developed sense of humor, apparently, is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life. What's more, analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it. A frog dies if you analyze humor.
One-Quarter Law[edit]
Comment. While the subject matter of the article certainly is of great importance to the reader, the text does not flow satisfactorily. Therefore, an image is missing.
All Rights Reserved[edit]
Comment. LOLstub
Hillary Clinton's Presidential Fund-raising Campaign[edit]
Comment. I'm not certain all of this happened... the Britney-statuette seems fake and all. A pretty shady business for satire in my opinion!
Afterword[edit]
There! Don't you just feel your head bursting with new understanding? Aren't you fairly itching to find some satirical text you have never before understood? This time Swift will not be too swift for you, nor Bierce too fierce! Go get that Hasek and show him your stuff! Victory over that nasty satire will be yours! Excelsior!