Short answer
Satire emphasizes what a work criticizes; parody emphasizes what it imitates. Satire uses ridicule against a target, while parody reshapes a recognizable work, style, or person to comment on or mock it. One work can do both, so these are overlapping descriptions rather than exclusive shelves. 1 2
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At a glance
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| Question | Satire | Parody |
|---|---|---|
| Main emphasis? | Critical ridicule | Imitation with commentary or mockery |
| Must imitate a model? | Not a defining requirement | Imitation is central |
| Typical target? | Human failings or cultural issues | A work, style, or person |
| Always funny? | Can evoke scorn or indignation | Usually, but not always |
| Can coexist? | Yes | Yes |
These are literary guideposts, not an absolute classification system. 1 2
What each thing is
In literary study, satire can be a governing mode or a passing element: a character, situation, or ironic passage may be satirical without making the whole work a satire. Parody instead identifies a relationship between a creation and something it imitates. That model may be a writing style or person, not just a single book. 1 2
Key differences
The strongest distinction is critical function versus imitative method. Satire turns ridicule toward a failing or target; parody makes its commentary through imitation. Oregon State emphasizes broader social criticism for satire, but the Abrams excerpt also discusses individuals and their faults. Thus, “society versus one author” is a useful tendency, not a universal boundary. 1 2
How to tell them apart
Ask two questions: What is being imitated, and what is being criticized? Identifiable imitation used for commentary points toward parody; ridicule directed at human or social failings points toward satire. Both answers may apply. The rule has limits: a parody’s model can be a style or persona, and satire may be only one passage within a larger work. 1 2
Where they overlap
Parody can supply the imitative machinery for satire’s broader criticism. Oregon State reads Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey as parodying Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolfo while also satirizing middle-class enthusiasm for gothic novels and criticizing masculine literary authority. The imitated work and the larger critical target need not be identical. 1
Edge cases
Imitation alone does not settle the label. Oregon State distinguishes pastiche, which imitates as homage, from parody. Conversely, lack of obvious comedy does not automatically exclude parody. The dictionary material also extends parody beyond literary compositions to mimicry of people and behavior, cautioning against a definition limited to rewritten books. 1 2
Why the distinction exists
The terms help describe different aspects of creative work: its critical stance and its use of an existing model. Literary terminology also separates satire from comedy pursued mainly for laughter. Satire’s practitioners often claim a corrective purpose, but the supplied glossary warns that the actual work does not always fulfill that claim. 2
Common misconceptions
Neither label simply means “something funny.” Parody need not always be humorous, and satire can provoke indignation rather than easy laughter. Nor must a work choose one label. Finally, satire’s supposed corrective purpose is not proof that every satirical work offers a remedy or confines itself to fair criticism of changeable faults. 1 2
Examples
Two cases show the distinction in use. Oregon State identifies Ben H. Winters’ Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters as parody of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility: the named model anchors that classification. It describes The Daily Show as satire because its stories commonly criticize cultural issues; that description does not require every story to imitate a particular artwork. 1