Satire is a literary form of art used throughout history to express criticism, ridicule, and wit. It can be found in many genres, including plays, poems, essays, short stories, and novels. By employing irony or sarcasm as well as exaggeration and parody, satire offers an entertaining yet thought-provoking critique of the social issues it addresses. While there are countless examples from various cultures spanning centuries of time, what follows is a brief overview of some key works from the Western canon that have utilized this genre to great effect.

One early example comes from ancient Greece with Aristophanes' play "The Clouds" (423 BCE). In it, he satirizes Socrates for his philosophizing on clouds while simultaneously mocking traditional Athenian values such as marriage customs and education methods. Another Greek playwright who employed satire was Menander, whose comedies focused mainly on everyday life, making fun of common follies like greed or vanity.

In Renaissance England, satirical writing gained prominence during the reigns of Henry VIII through Elizabeth I, when writers began using their work to criticize political events or religious dogma without fear of retribution by authorities. One such writer was Thomas Nashe, who wrote numerous pamphlets attacking corrupt clergymen as well as Queen Mary I's persecution policies against Protestants, which earned him much notoriety at the time but also praise for standing up for freedom of speech despite possible consequences should he fail to do so successfully.

Moving into modern times, we find Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" (1729), where he uses biting sarcasm and dark humor to suggest solutions to Ireland's poverty problem—namely that poor families sell their children off as food sources for wealthy English landowners—which not only provided insight into current conditions but also challenged readers' preconceived notions about these matters, thus prompting them to reexamine these same topics more critically than before reading this piece. Later during the Romanticism period, we see Lord Byron incorporating lighthearted comedic elements into his longer narrative poetry, such as Don Juan (1819–24), poking fun at society conventions regarding courtship, politics, religion, etc., all while maintaining subtle undertones running throughout its pages.

Finally, one cannot overlook how Mark Twain made use of comedy, both physical slapstick-type moments and clever wordplay within The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (1876–1885), wherein characters often behave foolishly even though they know better, ultimately serving to highlight certain flaws inherent in human nature rather than simply trying to make the reader laugh out loud.

As evidenced above, satire remains a vital tool today, just as it did thousands of years ago. It allows authors to challenge commonly held beliefs and societal norms in order to explore difficult questions with greater depth. Its humorous tone makes otherwise unpleasant subjects easier to digest by the general public.