arn ival ▁is ▁the ▁past ▁mill enn ia ' s ▁way ▁of ▁sens ing ▁the ▁world ▁as ▁one ▁great ▁commun al ▁performance " ▁and ▁is ▁" per me ated ▁with ▁the ▁path os ▁of ▁change ▁and ▁the ▁joy ful ▁relativ ity ▁of ▁all ▁things ". ▁The ▁folk - c arn ival ▁sense ▁of ▁the ▁world , ▁in ▁which ▁forms ▁like ▁the ▁S ocr atic ▁dialog ue ▁and ▁Men i ppe an ▁sat ire ▁are ▁based , ▁" did ▁not ▁permit ▁thought ▁to ▁stop ▁and ▁con ge al ▁in ▁one - s ided ▁serious ness ▁or ▁in ▁a ▁stupid ▁fet ish ▁for ▁definition ▁or ▁sing len ess ▁of ▁meaning ." ▁Modern ▁authors ▁of ▁" M eni ppe a " ▁in ▁Bak ht in ' s ▁sense ▁include ▁Vol taire , ▁D ider ot , ▁and ▁E . T . A . ▁Hoff mann . ▁For ▁Bak ht in , ▁the ▁nov els ▁of ▁D osto ev sky ▁represent ▁the ▁highest ▁point ▁in ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁the ▁genre . ▁In ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁articles , ▁Edward ▁Mil ow icki ▁and ▁Robert ▁Raw don ▁Wilson , ▁building ▁upon ▁Bak ht in ' s ▁theory , ▁have ▁argued ▁that ▁Men i ppe an ▁is ▁not ▁a ▁period - specific ▁term , ▁as ▁many ▁Classic ists ▁have ▁claimed , ▁but ▁a ▁term ▁for ▁disc ursive ▁analysis ▁that ▁instruct ively ▁applies ▁to ▁many ▁kinds ▁of ▁writing ▁from ▁many ▁historical ▁periods ▁including ▁the ▁modern . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁type ▁of ▁disc ourse , ▁“ M eni ppe an ” ▁sign