Sentence:  Swift and other satirists mercilessly <WSD>guyed</WSD> the unlettered self-importance of the peddlars of such soul-food, exposing their humility and self-laceration as an egregious and obnoxious form of self-advertisement ("s'excuser, c'est s'accuser"). 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To make fun of, to ridicule with wit or innuendo.