“Ha, ha, ha”: Modes of Satire in the Royalist Newsbook The Man in the Moon

XVII-XVIII Revue de la Société d’études anglo-américaines des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles 70 | 2013 Autour du rire “Ha, ha, ha”: Modes of Satire in the Royalist Newsbook The Man in the Moon Laurent Curelly Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/1718/510 DOI: 10.4000/1718.510 ISSN: 2117-590X Publisher Société d'études anglo-américaines des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles Printed version Date of publication: 31 December 2013 Number of pages: 73-90 ISBN: 978-2-9536021-5-9 ISSN: 0294-3798 Electronic reference Laurent Curelly, « “Ha, ha, ha”: Modes of Satire in the Royalist Newsbook The Man in the Moon », XVIIXVIII [Online], 70 | 2013, Online since 01 August 2016, connection on 23 September 2019. URL : http:// journals.openedition.org/1718/510 ; DOI : 10.4000/1718.510 XVII-XVIII is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. “HA, HA, HA”: MODES OF SATIRE IN THE ROYALIST NEWSBOOK THE MAN IN THE MOON The Man in the Moon was the only royalist mercury to come to life after the regicide in 1649 while other royalist newsbooks had either disappeared from the market or were briefly revived. It has variously been labelled as “smutty,” “obscene,” as well as “reactionary and popular,” providing an example of “uninformative and pornographic journalism.” Precisely, John Crouch, who was presumably its author, made no secret of his satirical intentions, as appears in his programmatic poem topping the first issue of the newsbook: “With pricking Bushes at my back, / I’le make Satyrick Whipps.” This paper looks into the satirical identity of The Man in the Moon in comparison with other royalist newspapers: it assesses how much Crouch’s newsbook was shaped by laughter, highlights the main features of political satire and discusses how far satire – and the laughter that it was meant to provoke – contributed to the emergence of a post-elegiac mood that overcame royalist journalism. Thus, as a publication offering not only a counterblast to official propaganda disseminated through pro-Commonwealth newsbooks but also a playful variation on the post-regicide elegiac mood that had set in among royalists, The Man in the Moon deserves reappraisal. The Man in the Moon fut publié pour la première fois en avril 1649 après le régicide alors que les autres journaux royalistes avaient définitivement disparu du marché ou connurent une brève renaissance. Affublé de qualificatifs péjoratifs tels que « grossier », « obscène », ou encore « réactionnaire et populaire » par plusieurs générations d’historiens, il ne serait rien d’autre qu’un exemple de « journalisme sensationnel et pornographique ». C’est précisément ce qui fait le sel de ce périodique, et la satire, revendiquée par son rédacteur John Crouch, occupe une place de choix dans ses colonnes, comme le montre le poème à visée programmatique qui ouvre le premier numéro. Le présent article a pour objectif de définir l’identité satirique de The Man in the Moon relativement à d’autres journaux royalistes. Il montre à quel point le rire donne forme au journal, puis explore les ressorts de la satire politique qu’il véhicule avant de s’interroger sur la façon dont la satire, et le rire qu’elle était censée susciter, permirent à un discours postélégiaque de s’imposer dans la presse royaliste. Usant du rire en réponse à la propagande officielle diffusée par les publications proches du Commonwealth, The Man in the Moon s’employait avec légèreté à jouer la mouche du coche Laurent CURELLY. “ ’Ha, Ha, Ha’: Modes of Satire in the Royalist Newsbook The Man in the Moon.” RSÉAA XVII-XVIII 70 (2013): 73-90. 74 LAURENT CURELLY cependant que les cercles royalistes étaient pour l’essentiel en proie à l’abattement. C’est à ce titre que ce journal mérite une attention renouvelée. A mongst the many newsbooks that sprang up during the English Civil Wars, royalist mercuries occupied a fair share of the flourishing news market. The Oxford-based royalist weekly Mercurius Aulicus gave the Court Party in exile a voice in the first Civil War, forcing the parliamentarian camp to take up the gauntlet and fight an enduring and bitter paper war. Thus, Mercurius Aulicus and its parliamentary rival Mercurius Britanicus attacked each other in a tit-for-tat polemical battle that testified to the country’s internecine divisions. Royalist involvement in journalism became even stronger in the second Civil War, and 1648 witnessed the emergence of a host of royalist ephemerals in addition to the established newspapers. 1 They all contributed to royalist propaganda by making fun of their political opponents. However, setbacks on the battlefield with the New Model Army gaining the upper hand caused the royalist camp to lose heart, 2 and many royalist news-sheets went out of publication as a result. The trial and execution of Charles I in January 1649 dealt a further blow to the royalist press, with the longrunning Mercurius Elenticus going silent. The Man in the Moon was the only royalist mercury to come to life after the regicide in 1649 while other royalist newsbooks had either disappeared from the market or were briefly revived. 3 It was issued for slightly over a year from April 1649 to June 1650, a watershed in the history of the British Isles. Its publication coincided with the establishment of the republic, the Commonwealth’s military campaign in Ireland, radical agitation in the New Model Army with Leveller-led mutinies in the spring of 1649 and the last stint of 1. The heyday of royalist journalism was the spring and summer of 1648, which produced ephemerals with suggestive titles like Mercurius Aquaticus, Mercurius Fidelicus, Mercurius Gallicus, Mercurius Insanus Insanissimus and Mercurius Psitacus. Established royalist newspapers included Mercurius Elenticus, from November 1647 to January 1649, Mercurius Melancholicus, from September 1647 to November 1648, and Mercurius Pragmaticus, from September 1647 to May 1649. 2. The surrender of Colchester on 28 August 1648 after a long siege spelt doom for the royalists who had been defeated by the New Model Army at Preston on 19 August. Royalist risings in Wales had been suppressed as early as June 1648. 3. Mercurius Elenticus was published intermittently after the regicide. It was briefly revived from May to November 1649 but its day of publication changed. RSÉAA XVII-XVIII 70 (2013) MODES OF SATIRE IN THE MAN IN THE MOON 75 Leveller activism triggered by Lilburne’s trial in the autumn of 1649. 4 The publication of The Man in the Moon was also contemporaneous with the Engagement controversy following the imposition of the Engagement, an oath to be taken by all English male adults aimed at securing obedience to the Commonwealth. 5 The republic got off to an uncertain start and from its very inception it was beset by political instability coming not only from royalists, notably in Ireland, but also from the radical fringe in- and outside the Army. The last thing the (...truncated)