Leacocks Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town :: Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town Essays

Leacocks sunshine Sketches of a Little Town     It takes a certain type of character to see the surliness in everyday heart.It takes an even greater character to express the humour in ways that otherpeople can appreciate and subsequently maintain gaiety therein. Stephen Leacockis such a character, and his compilation of short stories Sunshine Sketchesof a Little Town recognizes, and assists the reader to recognize, isneed to laugh at their surroundings, their culture, and the people that act in their lives.     Leacock is known for his profound ironical and satirical wit but, in thecase of Sunshine Sketches, he offers aspects of sad irony and sagaciousinsight with regards to everyday, small-town life as well, which serves tofurther enhance the value of his humour.     Just as Leacock was interested in the techniques of humor, he wasinterested in the language of humor. Besides the careful cream oflanguage, said Leacock, humor dem anded a great naturalness of language,the use of phrases and forms so simple that writers straining after effectwould never get them. Critics felt that oneness of the main reasons forLeacocks success was that his style was that of a talker rather than awriter. Another said...He talked to the world. And the talk was good.(Curry. p.242-243)     Satire is defined as a genre in which the author attacks some object,using his means of wit or humour that is either fantastic or absurd. In thecase of Sunshine Sketches, Leacocks target is a fictitious small town insouthern Ontario, which could be, and often is, compared to all other smalltowns across the country. Leacock immerses the reader amidst a accumulationof ordinary characters who become extraordinary due to Leacocks grasp ofthe comedy within human nature and the scope of small-town culture andtradition.     By utilizing elements of both comic and tragic irony, which bydefinition suggest varying divisi ons between words or events and theircontexts, Leacock not only creates a humorous environment for hischaracters, but also one in which the reader may laugh at situations andidiosyncrasies which are strikingly similar to their own. Events such asthe sinking of the Mariposa Belle in six feet of pissing and the subsequentrescue attempts by Mariposans, the comedic courting rituals of theextremely shy Peter Pupkin, and the inane attempts to raise money on behalfof the church are all examples of these sharp, ironic situations.     To understand the irony in any work, one must first appreciate thecontext of such a work. With regards to Sunshine Sketches, the town of