Description
Book SynopsisThis book attempts to grasp the recent paradigm shift in American politics through the lens of satire. It connects changes in the political and cultural landscape to corresponding shifts in the structure and organization of the media, in order to shed light on the evolution of political satire on late-night television. Satire is situated in its historical background to comprehend its movement away from the fringes of discourse to the very center of politics and the media. Beginning in the 1990s, certain trends such as technological advances, media consolidation, and the globalization of communications reinforced each other, paving the way for satire to claim a prized spot in the visual mediaa tendency that only gained strength after September 11. While the Bush presidency presented itself as an apposite target for satirists, their stronghold on American television was made possible by a number of transitions in broader culture, which are encapsulated in the shrinking space available fo
Trade ReviewIn an age where our understandings of reality itself are fractured and contested, Trump – who is loyal to no particular version of reality, even the one he made up yesterday — is, in a sense, the Man of the Hour. At the same time, satire, though a deconstructive art by nature, has answered the challenge of Trumpism by attempting to reconstruct for its audience a sense of objective truth, using the tools of irony, parody, and absurdity. Mehnaaz Momen skillfully and playfully navigates the contours of this Möbius strip-landscape, with its intersections of postmodernism, neo-liberalism, and political humor. -- Russell L. Peterson, author of Strange Bedfellows: How Late-Night Comedy Turns Democracy into a Joke
Mehnaaz Momen has written a book for our times. Examining the ways in which satire sheds light on complicated events, Momen makes a strong case for its unique power to make sense our chaotic contemporary moment. -- Lisa Colletta, The American University of Rome
I thought this would be a funny book….it’s not. It’s serious stuff. What a waste of time. If I want facts and research, I’ll turn to Wikipedia or some other source I can trust. 800+ footnotes? Are you kidding me? As President Trump might say, it’s sad. This book is a real loser. Still, hopefully they can get Alec Baldwin to read the audio book, which might liven things up. -- John Scott Gray, Ferris State University
Table of ContentsPart I: Our Postmodern (Un) Reality Part II: Satire as Political Performance Part III: The Inevitable Trump Presidency
