What is a Lampoon?
To ridicule or satirize someone or something through written or spoken word.
Shine a Light on It: A Closer Look at Lampooning
If you want to poke fun at someone or something, but straight-up mockery seems too harsh, consider lampooning.
Perhaps it's because the word itself sounds whimsical that it carries a certain lightheartedness with it - as though a lampoon is more of a good-natured ribbing than a scathing critique. In truth, this isn't always the case, as a well-crafted lampoon can cleverly and effectively highlight a subject's flaws or absurdities in a way that leaves them open to ridicule.
Lampooning can be done through any form of written or spoken media, but it's often associated with satire - which, like a lampoon, makes use of exaggeration or humor to criticize something or someone. A good lampoon should be entertaining on its own while still getting across its point about its target - a delicate balance, to be sure.
If you're looking to add some humor to your writing, consider taking a cue from these literary lampoons.
Wilde's satirical play about the social mores of Victorian England famously lampoons the idea of earnestness and respectability.
Swift's essay suggests that the impoverished Irish could ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food for the wealthy - a clever way of lampooning the callous attitudes of the ruling class towards the poor.