ABSTRACT
If the most important aspect of satire is its subject-matter - whether politics, sexual relations, bad manners, personal absurdity or literary stupidity - what sets it apart from other kinds of literature is its approach to the subject. The satirist can use a wide variety of literary forms, but he is bound to use a fairly limited range of techniques. The basic technique of the satirist is reduction: the degradation or devaluation of the victim by reducing his stature and dignity. The satirist puts on a mask for the purpose of unmasking others. He strips off his victims' symbols of rank and their clothes to reveal the corrupt nakedness beneath. Unmasking is a version of reduction, but it goes much further than the other versions. The satirist refuses to allow the satirised to remain with any personae their own, or with any secrets.
