Dickens' Biographer Depicts Satire As 'Powerful Civilizing Agency'

Satire is a powerful civilizing influence and is one of the hallmarks of a dynamic society, Edgar Johnson, a noted literary biographer, told a small Winthrop House audience yesterday afternoon.

Johnson, who is best known for his works on Charles Dickens, believes that satire has a profound beneficial influence because its "great criteria are truth and sanity." The duty of the satirist, he claimed, is to point out the foolishness and blindness of men.

In his talk, "Satire and the Censor," Johnson defined "censor" as the forces that stand between a satirical work and its acceptance. Thus, political parties, social conventions, and even the writer's personal loyalties are censors.

The "Crack" in "Wisecrack"

The essential characteristic of satire, according to Johnson, is criticism. He explained that "the 'crack' in 'wisecrack' is the crack of the whip, which is never more effective than when it is cutting into someone's hide."

Johnson classed men ranging from Plato and Aristophanes to Fred Allen and Ring Lardner as notable satirists. Writers in essentially non-satiric fields have also adopted the techniques of satire, Johnson noted. He labeled Galbraith and Veblen modern satirists, at least in a restricted sense.