Filipino Satire: Expression of Needs from Early Philippine Novels to Contemporary Works

ABSTRACT: This paper intends to present the Filipino Satire used as an aesthetic expression of needs relativeto socio-cultural and political issues and concerns from the Early Philippine Novel in English to thecontemporary works of expatriate writers. Defamiliarization and Humor theories, including Social Criticism, areused as the main frameworks of this paper, which are descriptive, analytical and qualitative. In this paper,Filipino satire is grouped into five: (1) domestic/marital satire, (2) cultural satire, (3) satire on religion, (4)political satire, and (5) satire on Filipinism. The aesthetic expression lies in the tone and form. This paperconcluded that Filipino satire appeals to the intellect and culturebased despite its being underrated. It revealssocietal issues in a lighter manner that conceals the darker side of the issue. It differs from comedy because ituses ridicule as a corrective measure while comedy mainly evokes laughter to amuse or entertain. It isrecommended to consider the signification of language, which reveals historical and cultural background inliterary works and in conveying lived experiences of an individual, or the community in general.

KEYWORDS: Filipino satire, defamiliarization, humor theory, social criticism