Join John Sutherland, John Crace and caricaturist Nicola Jennings for an evening exploring the past and future of satire
Date and times: Tuesday 4 June 2013, 6.30pm-9.30pm
Overview
Satire is the slipperiest of all the literary genres – the one that requires the most collaboration (at times verging on conspiratorial relationship) between author and reader to pick up that most nuanced inflection. Think of the single word 'brilliant'. Inflected it can mean 'bloody awful' ("Brilliant, you idiot – you're fired") or what, superficially, it does mean.
British literature has wonderful satirists, from Jonathan Swift to, dare we say it, the Guardian's John Crace – our 'greatest living satirist' (inflect that how you will) who has invented a new form of literary satire, the Craceian satire.
In this evening talk with Q&A we will explore the finest exponents of satire, from the past to present day, with three of the Guardian's own practitioners: John Sutherland, John Crace and caricaturist Nicola Jennings.
There will be plenty of time for lively Q&A, and the talks will cover both practical advice and bigger questions: such as, can satire make the world a better place?
Course description
- Satire: the origins (Nietzsche)
- The two satire styles: Juvenal, and Horace---the two styles
- Swift, savage indignation: why are all satirists conservatives?
- Modern satire: from literature to politics
- How to use satire today – John Crace's practitioner's guide
- What is caricature? Uses, effects and key practitioners
- How to caricature with a live demo
Tutor profiles
John Sutherland has the title Lord Northcliffe Professor Emeritus of Modern English Literature at University College London. A title, his predecessor Frank Kermode said, was like being Mammon Professor of God. Very satirical. Sutherland has written many books, none as good as any of Frank Kermode's. Read his work for the Guardian here.
John Crace is a feature writer for the Guardian. He writes the Digested Read for G2. He is the author of Brideshead Abbreviated: The Digested Read of the Twentieth Century, among other books. Read his work for the Guardian here.
Nicola Jennings originally trained as a theatre designer and started work designing for opera. She began caricaturing for the London Daily News in 1987, went on to work for the Daily Mirror and the Observer, and can now be seen regularly in the Guardian. She has also produced animated cartoons for Channel 4's A Week in Politics and drawn live on BBC2's Midnight Hour. At present she is working on John Crace's new collection 'The Digested 21st Century'. She was named caricaturist of the year 2008. See her work for the Guardian here.
To book
Details
Date: Tuesday 4 June 2013
Times: 6.30pm–9.30pm
Location: The Guardian, 90 York Way, King's Cross, London N1 9GU
Course price: £39 (includes VAT, booking fees and refreshments)
Event capacity: 100
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