William Hogarth- Satirist and the First Comic Book Artist

During the last lecture, we focused on the use of satire in the Victorian era (on which I'm doing my essay), specifically with artists and writers such as Jonathan Swift, William Hogarth, Daniel Defoe, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. The presentation given at the start of class was interesting, because it focused on Hogarth and his work with engravings (painted drawings depicting life in society). Satire was a focal point of his work, because it criticized certain institutions and people in societies by lampooning them. Specifically, Hogarth's 1735 engravings of "The Rake's Progress" brilliantly satirize the wasteful, self-indulgence of the rich in Victorian society.

"The Rake's Progress" depicts the rise and fall of young heir Tom "Rake" Rakewell as he goes from prominence to debt, from gambling to debauchery, and from prison to the madhouse. Although receivng a large inheritance from his late father, Rakewell During the early part of the story, the engravings depict cariactures of everyday characters in society from musicians, fencing/dancing instructors, and prositutes. Hogarth presents the upper class as foppish and over-dressed in a French style, while the prostitutes are crafty individuals to steal from Rakewell while covering all traces of syphillis. These themes of having no values, displaying unseemingly behaviour, drinking, and adultery were set against the rich, privileged backdrop of an aristocratic setting. Due to his excessive lifestyle, "Rake" is nearly charged for amassing debt, from which he narrowly manages to escape. In an effort to secure himself and his wealth, he decides to marry an elderly spinster (or 'Old Maid'), but he proceeds to squander his new fortune after gambling it away at a gentleman's club. Finally, the law catches up with Rake and places him in debtors' prison. Later, he becomes insane and gets sent to a mental hospital for the rest of his days. Despite being delivered from ruin by both his rejected finance and new wife, he has failed to change his lifestyle and then pays the price.

Hogarth satirizes the frivilous, wastefulness of the upper class by depicting its members drink, gamble, and engage in sex with prostitutes. Rakewell himself is a young male archtype who foolishly spends his inheritance, piles up debt, falls from grace, and ends up losing his sanity. The satire depicted here is mocking the rich and criticizing their moral faults. I found it interesting that the term "Rake" itself refers to a reckless, immoral individual, which makes the name Rakewell appropriate. In a sense, William Hogarth was the first artist of comic books, but rather than superheroes, his stories focused on what was wrong with society by satirizing it.