Satirical news programs are a very popular concept where people tune in to them for a laugh and might leave with a bit more knowledge on the subjects reported. With the popularity of such shows growing the media’s covering of them grows as well. The question is then how the media portrays these satirical news shows. In this study a framing analysis is used to analyse articles by four American news outlets – two traditional and two modern – to assess how the media is portraying the newer satirical news program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. There has been a lot of research done on how satirical programs affect the world around them but this study instead looks at how the media chooses to portray such a show. The focus is on whether the media treats the program as entertainment or more like another news outlet and what kind of effect that could have on the two genres satire and news. This study shows that the media presents the program as not just a comedy show that makes fun of news but also as a credible source of information. It is portrayed as a bit of both and one is not shown to contradict the other. This indicates that the distinction between genres such as satire and news is blurring which in turn can make it harder for the audience to separate the two and thereby make it more difficult to know what is news and what is not.

In recent years, through the process of narrative and literary criticism, scholars have begun suggesting that satire is present in specific texts of the Old Testament. Thus the primary function of this thesis is to analyse the validity of these arguments alongside suggesting different places where satire may be found. To achieve this goal, the thesis begins by analysing and defining satire as a concept. A clear definition provides the thesis with the method needed to identify satire in texts which predate any defined understanding of the concept. The thesis also uses satirical works from throughout history as templates for understanding similar types of satire within the biblical works. Once this methodology has been established, different genres of the Old Testament form the different chapters of the thesis. It identifies four different places where satire is deployed. Thus it examines satire in narratives, the book of Jonah, prophetic texts and wisdom literature. Each chapter combines new ideas with the analysis of previous scholastic arguments concerning the presence of satire. Within each genre a different type of satire with a range of complexity is deployed. The idol critiques in prophetic texts show simplistic satire. Narrative satire shows both situational and character-based satire. The book of Jonah is an example of hypocritical satire. Finally, satire in the wisdom literature contains a range of different satirical styles. The thesis concludes that satire is present within the texts of the Old Testament. This has implication to the field of satire. It affirms the existence of pre-Hellenistic satire. Alongside this, it shows that satire is a subconscious human technique, deployable even when the proponent has no defined understanding of the concept. In the field of Old Testament studies it provides an alternative reading of many familiar texts. A satirical reading provides clear insight into authorial intent as well as offering different interpretations of the texts which are examined.

This study will outline the two great literary genres of character-writing and satire, upon the tradition and practice of which Joseph Addison and Richard Steele based their characters of women in the Spectator. The three-fold purpose of this study is to determine how the Spectator was influenced by, and what it in turn contributed to, the two literary genres, the "Character" of women and satire on women; and to present the social status of the female audience as it existed and as the Spectator sought to improve it.

This thesis serves to classify Black Humor as a philosophy, which holds that the world is meaningless and absurd, and as a literary technique. Historical origins are discussed and the idea is related to a reflection of the middle-class syndrome of twentieth century man. Close philosophical and literary relatives are presented and a pure work isn't defined. Black Humor literary characteristics are described in terms of style, theme, plot, setting, chronology, and characteristic ending. Black Humor characters are classified as "non-heroes" divided into four categories. Prevalent use and treatment of traditional forbidden subjects of sex, defecation, money, violence, emotionlessness, religion, death, and "illogical" logic are stressed. In summary, Cat's Cradle is examined in light of the Black Humor characteristics described and found to be other than a pure Black Humor work.

There are many forms of humor. Irreverent, dark, and black humor have been used throughout history for social commentary. Irony, parody, sarcasm, and satire can break through preconceived notions, barriers and the tensions we experience when confronted with uncomfortable issues such as bigotry, elitism, and genetic superiority. Humor provides an opportunity for a release of tension giving way to a more receptive audience and a more effective message. My thesis is an exploration of the use of irreverent, dark, annd black humor as vehicles for effective social commentary in communication design.

My thesis covers the details of the development of play Carry Me! and the opportunity I had to explore Anne Bogart's Viewpoints as an approach to devising theatre. I express the challenges, the choices, the process and the presentation of my experience in the project. The subject matter of the script is based on a professional production that failed on Broadway in February of 1968. Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights by Robert Alan Aurthur was Sidney Poitier's directorial debut and starred Louis Gossett, Jr. and Cicely Tyson. The basic plot is a satire about race and role reversal but the overall message to the audience is to promote a better societal understanding of civil rights and cultural differences. My thesis script began with borrowing the premise of the original script but my desire was to make my own artistic choices in developing a new script about race and culture. Through Anne Bogart's Viewpoints process, thirty-seven years of historical distance from the Civil Rights Movement, a clearer understanding of American race relationships and my interest in the style of satire, I wrote and directed Carry Me! as my thesis project.

John Burgoyne, a British general during the American Revolution, is best known for his defeat by the Continental Army at Saratoga. In addition to serving as a general,Burgoyne was a playwright. While in Boston during the blockade following the Battle ofBunker Hill Burgoyne combined his interests, writing a satire of the war. The Blockade of Boston, Burgoyne's play, was first presented as an afterpiece to a production of The Busybody on January 8, 1776 (Silverman 292).Accounts of the performance differ in detail, but the central event is consistent: during the performance a soldier walked out on stage and announced that the rebels were attacking a British position. The audience of British military personnel, believing the statement to be a part of the performance, stayed in their seats to enjoy the show, only to then realize their mistake a moment later and rush off in great confusion. Most of the surviving records of this event are from the view of the delighted revolutionaries, who published accounts of it in their newspapers and pamphlets, to the lasting humiliation of the men involved with the production.I first encountered the story of Burgoyne's Blockade of Boston while working as a teaching assistant in an undergraduate theatre history class. The professor, Noreen Barnes, was lecturing on American theatre in the eighteenth century when she told the story of the interrupted first performance. I was intrigued by the story, and so when I wrote a paper on a disrupted performance for a historiography class, I chose to research the topic. I discovered that The Blockade of Boston, in addition to being a great story in its own right, could serve as a lens to examine the history of the period, opening questions of race, gender, and just what it means to be an American.

The main aim of this thesis "Satire, puns and metaphor in Quevedo's works" is to contextualize the author in the historical and the literary context. We outlined the situation of Spain in the 17th century and the economic and social conditions in its territory. Furthermore, we specified the art movements, which influenced Spain during the 17th century, a Baroque and Mannerism. Within the Mannerism, we specified two dominating Spanish literary movements, "culteranismo" and "conceptismo". We characterized their essence and we presented two leaders of both these two movements. That is Góngora as a leading author of culteranismo and Quevedo representing conceptismo. Especially in case of conceptismo we also focused on clarifying concepts and we explained the basic tendencies and terminology with the help of one of the greatest leaders of Baroque rhetoric, Baltasar Gracián. Then we proceeded to the definition of satire, and we focused on the origins and development related to Quevedo's satire. We mentioned Menippean satire, which has been a springboard for many of later modern satirists and we also mentioned satire within culture of humour especially in relation to the concept of Bakhtin and Carnival. Then we continued with a typology of characters that should be kind of explanation for reading...

SUMMARY: Characteristics of the part of the novel Master and Margarita by M. A. Bulgakov. Historical and Biblical context of Jerusalem chapters. The characters of Pontius Pilate and Jeshua Ha-Nocri and their place in the novel. Characteristics of their personalities, their projections in the Moscow part of the novel, comparsion of Pilat, Woland and Stalin. Jeshua Ha-Nocri and the origin of his name. Comparison to a Biblical model. Comparsion of Master, Jeshua's projection in Moscow in the thirties of the twentieth century, and Bulgakov's reality. Problematics of freedom for creative writing in totalitarian regimes. Characteristics of other characters of Jerusalem chapters and estimation of their place in totalitarian regimes.

Cílem diplomové práce je sledování vývoje demokratického myšlení na vybraných dílech K. Havlíčka Borovského. Autorka soustředila svou pozornost na významové etapy Havlíčkova života, které ovlivnily jeho politické smýšlení. Klíčová slova: revoluce - demokracie - liberalismus - novinářství - feuilleton - satira - epigram Annotation The aim of this graduate's thesis is to observe the development of democratic thinking of K. Havlíček Borovský through his selected works. The author has concentrated her attention on the specific periods of Havlicek's life that have influenced his political views. Key words: revolution - democracy - liberalism - journalism - feuilleton - satire - epigram