Diacritica 25-2_Filosofia.indb - cehum - Universidade do Minho

170
GEORGINA ABREU
Queen’s case: ‘the ruling gang have long triumphed over the people [...] and
the Queen of England would have fallen a sacrifi ce to their machinations,
had not the people unanimously vindicated her cause’ (R, vol. iv: 406).
Ironically, however, the victory of the Queen emptied the popular agitation
of its motive and favoured counter-attack by the loyalist press. Th e
edition of the BD of 13 December refl ected the new situation, when loyal
addresses began to fi nd their way into the press. Th e scorn and mockery
thrown in the BD upon the writers of loyal addresses in the letter ‘To the
Wise Men of Gotham, Resident ion the Ward of Cheap, in the City of London’
(BD, vol. v: 835-6) was no longer a symptom of force. It was a melancholic
ending.
Pamphlet satire and the Queen Caroline affair – William Hone
Arise, O Satire! – tune thy useful song,
Silence grows criminal, when crimes grow strong;
Of meaner vice, and villains, sing no more,
But Monsters crown’d, and Crime enrobed with Power!
William Hone, 1821, Th e Right Divine of Kings to Govern Wrong
Satiric laughter erupted in satirical prints, pamphlet satires, mock advertisements,
ballads, and broadsides. Unlike the benevolent, aseptic and sometimes
nonsensical type of humour that came aft erwards, disengaged from
direct relationship with public fi gures and public aff airs, [14] satiric laughter
made truth claims in relation to its referential object and attacks were scathingly
personal. Satiric laughter conveyed attitudes of contempt rather than
fear, anti-authoritarianism rather than deference, towards the established
authority.
It had been prepared by technological innovations [15] and by the extension
of literacy among the lower classes that lowered the price and acceler-
14 W.T. Moncrieff Th e March of Intellect, A Comic Poem (Moncrieff , 1830) is an example of this
type of humour. It is also found in Punch, Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson, 1832-1898), and
Edward Lear (1812-1888). George Cruikshank’s 1828 print Th e Age of Intellect, from ‘Scraps and
Sketches’ is another instance.
15 Th ese technological innovations consisted essentially of the introduction of wood engraving, a
technique developed by Th omas Bewick (1753-1828), and of rapid mechanical improvements
in printing presses. Unlike copper-plate engravings, engraving on wood allowed the drawing
of highly detailed images and the production of thousands of copies on conventional printing
presses.
Diacritica 25-2_Filosofia.indb 170 05-01-2012 09:38:28