The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is considered to be satire. How can one see this?
madelynfair Teacher High School – 10th Grade eNotes Editor Satire’s mission is to expose vice and folly in both individuals and institutions (religious, political, social, etc.). Satire uses irony, hyperbole, and incongruity as tactics to expose weaknesses. How does The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie excoriate using these strategies? First, look at Miss Brodie herself. She’s a maverick (writes her own curriculum and defies the standard) and fearless (she has affairs with various men, flying in the face of morals for nineteen-thirties Scotland). She also is two-faced: she believes that not having an affair with Lloyd is honorable but adjusts her rules later. Is Spark saying that Miss Brodie is full of folly? Is she making huge mistakes? You can examine what Miss Brodie says about herself, what other characters say about her, and how consequences fall out by the very end of the play. What ironic twists occur? How does the unexpected drive action in this play? One consequence of Miss Brodie de
