Influences: A Modest Proposal – Satire
I write on occasion about things that have influenced me and my work over the years… Well here’s another memory.
I don’t know if I’ve posted about this before, if I have then please excuse me but I’ve been thinking about this lately so I’m writing about it.
When I was at the University of Oregon I saw a class on Satire so I signed up for it. One of the best things I ever did.
The instructor was B. (Barbara) Clark Mossberg. She walked into the class with so much energy. When she handed out the syllabus we all started laughing. That nervous, “are you kidding me?” laugh.
The reading list was huge! There were so many books and stories on that list and they were all required. None of these books were optional.
There was no way we were going to read all of those books and short stories in a single term.
On the list was; Catch 22, Alexander Pope’s, The Rape Of The Lock, Jonathan Swift's, A Modest Proposal and so much more. There were pieces by Samuel Clemens, Shirley Jackson, Evelyn Waugh, and George Orwell. This class was eye opening as far as satire and literature.
The class met twice a week and every class Barbara had so much energy and so much love for the subject matter. It was infectious. I would leave class excited to read the next story or book or whatever it was. I believe the whole class felt that way.
By the end of the term we had indeed read the entire list and in hindsight it didn’t seem so long. In fact I believe we all could/would of read more if she asked us to.
Between her enthusiasm, knowledge, and the selections she picked the class was great. I don’t recall reading a single thing that didn’t resonate with me in some way.
This was the first, but not the last time I read Jonathan Swift’s, A Modest Proposal (Published in 1729). If you have never read this essay it is a must.
I will steal this brief description from Wikipedia – Swift's essay is widely held to be one of the greatest examples of sustained "Irony" in the history of the English language. Much of its shock value derives from the fact that the first portion of the essay describes the plight of starving beggars in Ireland, so that the reader is unprepared for the surprise of Swift's solution when he states: "A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a "Fricassee"
And yes, it is satire!
I recommended the class to a couple of friends and they had the same experience I had. The first class everyone saw the reading list and laughed. By the end they had read everything and were ready to read more.
She was a great teacher and she passed on her enthusiasm to her classes. I hope she had a great career and is happily retired somewhere still reading satirical pieces.
As you can see I still own the textbook from the class.
I transferred to USC the following year and had some great classes in film school but to this day her class still stands out.
On those occasions when I used to teach I would think of that class and push myself to be as good a teacher as she was.
Hey, as long as your here, I would really appreciate you checking out some of my films, books, and merchandise. This is how I support myself so if you want to purchase anything that would be great.
Thanks. Support Independent Artists!
Originally posted on May 20, 2022