Thanks to Michael Farry for advising us that the annual Swift Satire competion run by the Boyne Writers group is now open for business. Full details, poetry or prose, are to be found hereThis is a competition that I've had a degree of success with in the past even though I have great difficulty in differentiating between satire and sarcasm. I can do the latter quite well. Not sure about satire, though.
Also the bit about writing in the style of Swift puzzles me. For poetry, he seems to have written largely in rhyming couplets - is this then de rigeur for the competition? I might try something new this year just for the hell of it.
Swift has actually been very good for me. Apart from being shortlisted in the Boyne Swift Satire competition, I was longlisted in the Kilkenny Swift Satire competion 2006 (Final 20) and had 2 entries in the final 6 of the 2008 competition.
No is the answer to the question. Rhyming couplets not necessary thought a piece with rhyming couplets can be very effective so long as the rhymes aren't very contrived. Though of course part of the fun of rhymes in a satirical or comic work can be the contrived nature of the rhymes. So I hope that's clear now Peter.
ReplyDeletePerfectly clear Michael, Doesn't have to be rhyming couplets though its very Swiftian!
ReplyDeleteI had a very easy night in work last night and managed to eke out the nucleus of my entry. I'm just glad its not yourself judging the contest as I daresay you'd call it sacriligeous!