The preface to Jonathan Swift’s The Battle of the Books (1704) begins with a rather unconventional definition of a literary genre� Readers are informed that “Satyr is a sort of Glass, wherein Beholders do generally discover every body’s Face but their Own” (Tale 140)� The writer does not hesitate to add that it is probably this characteristic which is responsible for the genre’s continuing success� If this definition is taken seriously, satire could appear like a welcome tool for hypocrites who always like to put the blame on somebody else� Since it does not occur to recipients that their behavior is targeted in any way, nobody will ever feel offended� In other words, satire is an instrument which stabilizes prejudices rather than inviting readers to think about their own limitations�It may be asked, of course, why Swift decided to put such a definition before a text which is obviously satirical� For one thing, it is clear that the problem of finding faults in others while paying a blind eye to one’s own failures is by no means restricted to the reception of satires.