▁form ▁of ▁indirect ▁sat ire , ▁the ▁category ▁opposed ▁to ▁the ▁formal ▁sat ire ▁of ▁direct ▁criticism ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁person . ▁ ▁Paul ▁Sal z man , ▁taking ▁Men i ppe an ▁sat ire ▁as ▁a ▁genre ▁as ▁" r ather ▁ill - defined ", ▁describes ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁mixture ▁of ▁alleg ory , ▁pic ares que ▁narr ative ▁and ▁sat ir ical ▁comment ary . ▁North rop ▁F ry e ▁found ▁the ▁term ▁" c um bers ome ▁and ▁in ▁modern ▁terms ▁rather ▁mis leading ", ▁and ▁proposed ▁as ▁replacement ▁the ▁term ▁' an atom y ' ▁( t aken ▁from ▁Bur ton ' s ▁An atom y ▁of ▁Mel anch oly ). ▁In ▁his ▁theory ▁of ▁pro se ▁fiction ▁it ▁occup ies ▁the ▁fourth ▁place ▁with ▁the ▁novel , ▁rom ance ▁and ▁conf ession . ▁ ▁Class ical ▁tradition ▁ ▁Var ro ' s ▁own ▁ 1 5 0 ▁books ▁of ▁Men i ppe an ▁sat ires ▁surv ive ▁only ▁through ▁quot ations . ▁The ▁genre ▁continued ▁with ▁Sen eca ▁the ▁Young er , ▁whose ▁Ap oc ol oc ynt osis , ▁or ▁" P ump kin ification ", ▁is ▁the ▁only ▁near - complete ▁classical ▁Men i ppe an ▁sat ire ▁to ▁surv ive . ▁It ▁consisted ▁in ▁an ▁irre ver ent ▁par ody ▁of ▁the ▁de ification ▁of ▁Emperor ▁Claud ius . ▁The ▁Men i ppe an ▁tradition ▁is ▁also ▁evident ▁in ▁Pet ron ius ' ▁S aty ric on , ▁especially ▁in ▁the ▁ban quet ▁scene ▁"