Final answer:
Satire became a significant genre during the Enlightenment for its role in critiquing society and revealing the hypocrisy of the upper classes and religious institutions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The genre that became important during the Enlightenment and revealed the ignorance of the seemingly proper despite their deplorable practices was satire. Satire was used extensively by Enlightenment thinkers to critique and mock aspects of society, including the corruption of the monarchy and the aristocracy, as well as other forms of social and religious hypocrisy. It served as a powerful tool for social commentary and was influential in exposing the faults of the existing social and political systems, essentially holding a mirror to society to reveal underlying truths often ignored or glossed over by those in power.
Enlightenment writers such as Voltaire were known for their scathing satirical works that not only entertained but also provoked thought and debate among the educated elite of the time. These works contributed to a broader discourse on personal liberty, reason, and criticism of traditional authority, including the church and monarchy, which were seen as stifling progress and maintaining outdated and unfair societal structures.