Mark Twain essay "On the Decay of the Art of Lying" (for characterization style)
E922936
The Mark Twain essay "On the Decay of the Art of Lying" is a humorous, satirical piece in which Twain advocates for lying as a refined social art when used with tact, kindness, and moral purpose.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| On the Decay of the Art of Lying | 0 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
essay
ⓘ
humorous essay ⓘ satirical essay ⓘ |
| advocates |
lying practiced with kindness
ⓘ
lying practiced with moral purpose ⓘ lying practiced with tact ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
American literature
ⓘ
Victorian-era moral debates ⓘ realism ⓘ |
| author |
Mark Twain
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Samuel Langhorne Clemens NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contrasts | idealized truthfulness with actual human behavior ⓘ |
| criticizes |
clumsy lying
ⓘ
malicious lying ⓘ self-righteous truth-telling ⓘ unnecessary blunt honesty ⓘ |
| genre |
humor
ⓘ
satire ⓘ |
| intendedEffect |
entertain the reader
ⓘ
provoke reflection on honesty and deception ⓘ satirize moral pretensions ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| literaryStyle |
conversational prose
ⓘ
first-person essay ⓘ rhetorical argument ⓘ |
| mainTheme |
ethics of lying
ⓘ
hypocrisy in social morality ⓘ lying as a social art ⓘ social conventions ⓘ tact and kindness in communication ⓘ |
| perspective |
moral relativism toward lying
ⓘ
pragmatic view of truth ⓘ |
| portraysLyingAs |
a tool for politeness
ⓘ
an art that can be refined ⓘ potentially benevolent ⓘ |
| rhetoricalDevice |
humorous examples
ⓘ
hyperbole ⓘ irony ⓘ paradox ⓘ understatement ⓘ |
| setting | late 19th-century American society ⓘ |
| subjectOf |
ethics discussions about lying
ⓘ
literary criticism ⓘ |
| tone |
ironic
ⓘ
mock-serious ⓘ satirical ⓘ witty ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
Wile E. Coyote
→
inspiredBy
→
Mark Twain essay "On the Decay of the Art of Lying" (for characterization style)
ⓘ