Satire

10 works

10 works of Satire in the Western literary canon — ranked by Gröblé, with difficulty, length, and influence at a glance.

Satire, Ranked

According to Groblé

  1. 14Gargantua and Pantagruel1532François RabelaisEasy·Epic·1,520 pagesInfluence41Popularity27RenaissanceSatireFrench
  2. 46Candide1759VoltaireBreezy·Medium·135 pagesInfluence71Popularity86EnlightenmentSatireFrench
  3. 83The Satyricon~65PetroniusEasy·Medium·240 pagesInfluence36Popularity8Ancient RomeSatireLatin
  4. 94Vanity Fair1847William Makepeace ThackerayBreezy·Epic·796 pagesInfluence43Popularity63VictorianSatireEnglish
  5. 97Praise of Folly1511ErasmusEasy·Long·256 pagesInfluence41Popularity34RenaissanceSatireLatin
  6. 128Dead Souls1842Nikolai GogolEasy·Long·500 pagesInfluence53Popularity46Russian 19th CenturySatireRussian
  7. 138Troilus and Cressida~1602William ShakespeareGrueling·Medium·104 pagesInfluence18Popularity18ShakespeareSatireEnglish
  8. 163Gulliver’s Travels1726Jonathan SwiftBreezy·Long·418 pagesInfluence72Popularity84EnlightenmentSatireEnglish
  9. The Rape of the Lock1714Alexander PopeModerate·Quick·27 pagesInfluence—Popularity—PoetsSatireEnglish
  10. Selected Poems1697John DrydenModerate·Long·320 pagesInfluence—Popularity—PoetsSatireEnglish