The Inconvenient Satire: Satirical Nuances in Mário de Carvalho

Abstract

Satire has been studied over the years, and our time has seen a resurgence of critical interest in its workings, especially because scholars have come to appreciate its capacity for mutation and adaptation. Taking a cue from renowned theoreticians like Sophie Duval and Fredric V. Bogel, among others, this essay will show that satire ’s lability, going beyond genealogical limits, disseminates itself via an array of discursive and literary forms and reaches a degree of modernity it had previously been denied. I will test different theoretical frameworks and examine satire ’s various elements. I will concurrently analyze the satirical works of Mário de Carvalho, namely Quando o diabo reza, my aim being to identify the main strategies and procedures used by the author to realize his satirical intents. Finally, I will draw attention to the permeability of satire ’s boundaries in relation to contiguous aesthetic-stylistic procedures like parody and humor.