Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
It takes a certain type of character to see the humour in everyday life.
It takes an even greater character to express the humour in ways that other
people can appreciate and subsequently find gaiety therein. Stephen Leacock
is such a character, and his compilation of short stories Sunshine Sketches
of a Little Town recognizes, and assists the reader to recognize, one's
need to laugh at their surroundings, their culture, and the people that
interact in their lives.
Leacock is known for his profound ironic and satirical wit but, in the
case of Sunshine Sketches, he offers aspects of tragic irony and sagacious
insight with regards to everyday, small-town life as well, which serves to
further enhance the value of his humour.
Just as Leacock was interested in the techniques of humor, he was
interested in the language of humor. Besides the careful selection of
language, said Leacock, humor demanded a "great naturalness" of language,
the use of phrases and forms so simple that writers straining after effect
would never get them. [Critics] felt that one of the main reasons for
Leacock's success was that his style was that of "a talker rather than a
writer". 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 the
case of Sunshine Sketches, Leacock's target is a fictitious small town in
southern Ontario, which could be, and often is, compared to all other small
towns across the country. Leacock immerses the reader amidst a collection
of ordinary characters who become extraordinary due to Leacock's grasp of
the comedy within human nature and the scope of small-town culture and
tradition.
By utilizing elements of both comic and tragic irony, which by
definition suggest varying divisions between words or events and their
contexts, Leacock not only creates a humorous environment for his
characters, but also one in which the reader may laugh at situations and
idiosyncrasies which are strikingly similar to their own. Events such as
the sinking of the Mariposa Belle in six feet of water and the subsequent
rescue attempts by Mariposans, the comedic courting rituals of the
extremely shy Peter Pupkin, and the inane attempts to raise money on behalf
of the church are all examples of these sharp, ironic situations.
To understand the irony in any work, one must first appreciate the
context of such a work. With regards to Sunshine Sketches, the town of
Ironic and corrosive behavior is noted in Creon when he gives the quote, “You dazzle me” (Scene 2, Line 182). This is verbal irony because as an audience we know that Creon does not, in fact, feel that the Choragus’ outburst about Antigone’s death is ‘dazzling.’ but because of this we must wonder, what does he mean? We can find out from the writing of Sophocles. This small line gives a foreshadowing of Creon’s true nature. Creon does not act kingly, he is rude and arrogant. Why would a king need to be
What makes a piece of writing humourus? In “ How I got Smart” by Steve Brody and in “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, both use literary devices to tell a story from a younger perspective. Although they both use figurative language in a humourous way, Brody’s story is silly and has a happy ending and Hughes’s story is somewhat sad and does not end happily thus making Brody’s story overall funnier.
Creon's noble quality is his caring for Antigone and Ismene when their father was persecuted. Creon is a very authoritative person and demands control of others. When talking to the Chorus, Creon does not ask them to agree with the decree but demands that they follow it. Creon expects loyalty from others. It is apparent that Creon is very dominating and wants to be in control. "The man the city sets up in authority must be obeyed in small things and in just but also in their opposites"(717-719). Through this quote the reader realizes that Creon wants obedience in everything he decides even if he is at fault. "There is nothing worse than disobedience to authority" (723-724). Further supporting Creon's belief that everyone shall remain faithful to him even if he rules unfairly. This is proved true when Creon says, "Should the city tell me how I am to rule them?" (790).
telling stories about his life without really setting up a structure for the audience to follow.
One of the most complex and elaborate characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is Pearl, the daughter of Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. Pearl, throughout the story, develops into a dynamic individual, as well as an extremely important symbol. Pearl is involved in a complex history, and as a result is viewed as different and is shunned because of her mother’s sin. Pearl is a living Scarlet A to Hester, as well as the reader, acting as a constant reminder of Hester’s sin. This connection leads to many different views of Pearl’s character.
Those who read “The Scarlet Letter” perceive Pearl as she who personifies her mother’s sinful extramarital affair. After all, Hester adorns her in the same manner as the infamous letter. Yet, near the end of the book Hawthorne revealed, through Reverend Dimmesdale’s final moments, another reason behind his characterization of Pearl:
by using it as a comic device, but also to sort out situations so that
in his books which help him connect to the reader more. Using humor also helps the reader be more
...and works very seriously. William Shakespeare is the best writer of all time in the field and time he resigned in. He is widely known as the best and is very famous for his works. He used humor to create the laughter from his audiences. He wrote many works with humor called comedies. His comedies transformed into different type of comedies. Another one of Shakespeare’s techniques is the use of irony. He uses dramatic irony, situational irony, and verbal irony. Irony plays a very large role throughout all of his works along with comedy. He has contributed so much to the English language and literature. William Shakespeare uses everything from new words to new techniques. He created many new words and phrases. Now the English language can always thank the one and only great William Shakespeare for all that he has done for the English language throughout all his works.
lighten the mood and accentuate the comedic theme of the story through his creation of
The Scarlet Letter is an intricate allegory that takes place in a puritan society in the 1600’s. Author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, vividly articulated his anti-transcendentalist views. Written in the 1800’s, The Scarlet Letter challenges one’s mind to find the to find the light in the dark. Hawthorne also challenges the reader’s mind with the use of symbolism, where he uses objects or words as symbols that hold a deeper meaning. In his novel, The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of wild rosebush, Pearl, and Dimmesdale to contribute to the overall theme of imperfection.
“Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town is a short work of poetry written in 1940, by American poet Edward Estlin Cummings (E. E. Cummings). Throughout the poem, Cummings uses the four seasons as an analogy of the human life cycle. Edward Estlin Cummings (E. E. Cummings) uses a complex contradicting language to display the setting, mood, and meaning, in “Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town”; it illustrates how life can be related to nature.
Miller, D.L. (1975) Josiah Royce and George H. Mead on the Nature of the Self, Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, 11, (2) pp. 67-89, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40319730. Accessed 24/11/2011.
The nature of comedy has always left it somewhat resistant to critical analysis, and to some extent the same can be said for comedic actors. The class-clowns of Hollywood like Will Ferrell are often times constructed as being nothing more than amusing, so they seem like a simple case study.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Mary Higgins Clark started her writing career writing suspense stories and she hasn't changed very much since then. All her books are very interesting to read and they will always keep your attention to the end.