Behind The Mask: Unravel the true face of society with satirical novels

Satire is one of the most important genres of literature which deal in ridiculing of a specific topic in order to provoke readers into changing their opinions about particular subject. It ranges from vices, follies, sham, ridicule, abuses and shortcomings of something be it a person, society or organization in order to provide it a scope of improvement. The main elements of satire are irony, wit and sarcasm, which make it an effective tool to draw attention towards the various issues of society. This expression in a novel brings in humor to the content and the story. Today, satire can be seen in many artistic forms like plays, commentary, television shows and even in lyrics.

Perhaps, the expression of satire started with the famous works of Jonathan Swift’s- Gulliver’s Travel, where he shows the prominent vices and corruption of his time. Then, there was another satirical novel which came out as an attack on the Politicians, especially upon their rhetoric and manipulative tactics and voracious lust for power.

1.  Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

It is a master piece of David Foster Wallace is a huge, mind-altering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in America. The story will take you in a twisted dystopia, where the calendar years are named after corporate products. With the backdrop of oppressive weirdness, the author explores the themes of addiction and self-destruction. It tells how our desires for entertainment affect our need to connect and kind of pleasures we choose, depicts our personality. He book bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment as it contains the equal parts of philosophical quest and screwball comedy. It is one of the rare books which renew the idea of renewal of explorations of human passions.

2.    Cat Country by Lao She

     Cat country by Lao She is often acknowledged as the first Chinese work of science fiction and it has incorporated enough cutting remarks and clever observations to make it worth reading. The narrator takes an expedition to Mars, which he finds peopled by society of cats, on the verge of collapse because of the internal corruption and loads of abuses by outsiders. A satire on 1930 china, Cat Country has given a universal look with the end of imperialism and has thrown light on how subjugated people make their situation even worse among themselves, instead of fighting back effectively.

3.    Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
      The novel of Gulliver’s Travel is a cultural artifact of America penned by a satirist who gave us "A Modest Proposal”. He story portrays Lemuel Gulliver, who travels around the world and gets to encounter tiny humans and giant ones along with a floating city and lastly a land of horse people. The books shows that through his journey he learns that no matter which people resides in society and that nobody is perfect as everyone has their own cultural beliefs and disputes.  The novel is sheer representation of cultural shock.

The above mentioned are the top satirical novels in my list and has thrown light on the internal corruption and lust of power in people, since their origin. You can get this book simply by placing an order to an online book store and get your book at a doorstep.