Flann O’Brien: an exegesis of satire

The purpose of writing Flann O’Brien: An Exegesis of Satire was to illuminate how O’Brien uses political, religious, and social satire to destabilize identities. Satire is achieved through hyperbole, irony, and irreverent diction. Identities are exaggerated in the texts to reveal problematic aspects embedded within them. Some of O’Brien’s heavily satirized identities are nationalist, Gaelic, academic, and masculine identities. Troublesome components of these respective identities are revealed in order to improve said identity, which O’Brien is passionate about. O’Brien’s five novels were analyzed in how satire functioned and why; the result being he heavily criticized that which he was passionate about. His passion is revealed through his familial history, interviews with family members, and O’Brien’s personal letters. O’Brien, neglected in comparison to other Irish authors, brilliantly deconstructs identities in an “irreverent reverence” and should be respected for his metafictional works