There were Angry Young Men when I was young, but they were mostly British.
Perhaps I could be an Angry Old Man now, if I promised not to be crabby.
Reading Jeffrey Henderson’s introduction to the Loeb Juvenal and Persius made me think satire is the way to go:
Juvenal presents a character who seems to be an ordinary citizen of the metropolis of Rome, ranting at the excesses and outrages that surround him, a simple man who is so frustrated at society’s hypocrisy and corruption and at its failure to address burning issues of inequality and immorality that he is driven to deliver a scathing condemnation of that decadent society.
…the content [of Roman satire] included matters of morality, education, and literature. The type of presentation was generally the autobiographical monologue, with occasional excursions into dialogue, epistle, or narrative form. The language ranged form mock-epic grandeur, through everyday discourse, to moments of explicit crudity.
…it is most appealing to view the satirist as a cook, serving up to his audience a sausage stuffed full of varied ingredients, ingredients that include a substantial quantity of feasting and food. This explanation gives a piquant taste to Juvenal’s description of his work as a farrago…styling his poetry as “mixed cattle fodder”….
I am pleased to report that An Old Junker is a farrago that contains several juicy bits denouncing foodieism….
