A middlebrow might have never read any book by this or that author, but he/she might have heard its title, or the names of its characters from mass media. The writers tried to answer critics with humorous and satiric sketches, they laugh at society, at governments, laws and morals.

It is hardly possible to imagine the XVIth century without Rabelais's laughter; the XVIIth century is enlightened with Voltaire's and Moliere's smiles; Ch. Dickens and W. Thackeray ridiculed the XIXth century. Wrathful grotesque of T. Mann, absurd satire of F. Kafka, gloomy humour of S. Beckett, philosophic humour of B. Shaw, and bitter laughter of A.France are signs of the XXth century. Y. Hashek, S. Lets, and S. Mrozhek also should be mentioned. Every significant writer can not do without a caricaturist. Any author writes to make his/her soul free; a caricaturist does not want anything but publicity and success. Common people like writers being criticized, but not "beaten to death". Humourously coloured critical articles are more to readers' tastes. They are more optimistic and do not spoil the appetite during breakfast when people usually look through morning newspapers. The readers hardly want to see any obituary next morning, they look forward to some merry sequel.

The XIXth century was especially partial to the authors: whether A. Dumas went to Russia, or wrote a cooking book; whether O d' Balzac was flush of money, or married E. Ganskaya from Russia - there the deriders were with famous Granville in the head. Paul de Cock was drawn as a rooster, C. Nodier - sitting on the pile of books looking like an ink-pot. Humourists especially ridiculed writers who delivered lectures and were fond of performances like Charles Dickens. Not only Dickens's novels, lectures, and performances were made fun of, but his love affairs, as well. Although his romances were numerous, women characters in his novels were not the best.

E.Zola attracted caricaturists' attention because of his "immoral" novels and his activity during Dreifus's trial. O. Wilde, famous for his paradoxes and dandyism, used to be a figure of fun, too. Humorous and emotional eruption caused futuristic and surrealistic experiments of the early XXth century.