Stephen LeacockRezensionen

Canadian

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a delightful read by Stephen Leacock.

I had to read this for a Canadian Literature class, and my gosh is it such a gem! It's one of those historical books I had never even heard of, yet it is such a staple for Canadian culture. Hilarity and hypocrisy ensues in this book, and it's just overall amazing. I'm truly impressed and want to pick up more by this comedic genius.

This collection of stories follows the city of Mariposa and its wacky and unusual residents. Politics, romance and business all intertwine and make this book one joyful ride.

There's lots of sarcasm, irony and satire hidden among this book. The descriptions of Mariposa also prove to be stunning beautiful and absolutely hilarious. Yes, indeed if you have seen one Canadian city, you have seen them all!

If you're looking for a little satire with a lot of Canadian wit and culture among it, grab this book. It's also a very positive book, shockingly. It doesn't make you feel negative or disgusted at the town of Mariposa. It's a book you're going to chuckle at. Enjoy the positivity - we need it during times like these.

Five out of five stars.

A collection of short pieces Contents: The Secrets of Success; The Human Mind Up to Date; The Human Body: Its Care and Prevention; The Perfect Salesman; Romances of Business; The Perfect Lover's Guide; The Progress of Human Knowledge; Glimpses of the Future in America; My Unposted Correspondence; Letters to the New Rulers of the World. This collection does not contain any of Leacock's classics, but is an enjoyable read, and a reminder that this Canadian was the English speaking world's favourite humourist in the 1920's.½

Indeholder "Højfinansens Troldmand", "Mr. Tomlinsons Veldædighed", "Mrs. Rasselyer-Browns Selskab", "Mr. Spillikins' Kærlighedshistorie", "De rivaliserende Kirker St. Asaph og St. Psoph", "Pastor Uttermust Dumfarthings Præstegerning".

"Højfinansens Troldmand" handler om ???
"Mr. Tomlinsons Veldædighed" handler om ???
"Mrs. Rasselyer-Browns Selskab" handler om ???
"Mr. Spillikins' Kærlighedshistorie" handler om ???
"De rivaliserende Kirker St. Asaph og St. Psoph" handler om ???
"Pastor Uttermust Dumfarthings Præstegerning" handler om ???

???

Om man opfatter det som enkeltstående fortællinger eller som kapitler i en bog er vist ligegyldigt.

This was Stephen Leacock’s last collection of essays, published posthumously with an introduction by his niece. It was easily my least favourite of his books so far. I was not impressed by the first essay, “Are Witty Women Attractive to Men?” (Spoiler alert: he does not think so.) Unfortunately, one cannot come to Stephen Leacock for nuanced discussion of gender roles. The introduction to this collection claims that he did think women should be paid properly for raising children and running the household, but he was less keen on women breaking the traditional gender roles. So that was a miss. I also, as a 21st-century reader, did not appreciate the essay about the British empire, especially when it talked about western Canada being “empty” until 1870. NO IT WASN’T, THERE WERE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE THERE FIRST!!! For me, Leacock is at his best when riffing on or parodying fiction, such as the essay “Living with Murder”, where Leacock obsessively times every little aspect of a dinner with a friend in case the friend is murdered and Leacock has to make an account of his whereabouts.

If you’re interested in Leacock’s work, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is absolutely the way to go. Last Leaves can be left on the shelf.½

Indeholder "Min Karriere som Finansmand", "Nummer Seks og halvtreds", "Tryllekunstnerens Hævn", "Hoodoo McFiggin's Jul", "John Smith's Levned", "En Mønsterdialog", "Tilbage til Naturen", "Tanker vedrørende Ridning", "A, B og C", '"Q"', "Guvernanten Gertrude", "Vor Tids Helt", "Mænd, som har raget mig", "En supersensitiv Sjæls Sorger", "Julianes Jul", "Asbestmanden".

"Min Karriere som Finansmand" handler om en nervøs person, der går i banken for første gang i sit liv og sætter 56 dollars ind for så straks i befippelse at hæve dem igen.
"Nummer Seks og halvtreds" er nærmest en Sherlock Holmes parodi. En vaskeriejer har sluttet sig til en kundes hele liv udfra hans vasketøj, men det er nu nok helt forkert.
"Tryllekunstnerens Hævn" handler om en tryllekunstner og en irriterende tilskuer, hvor tryllekunstneren slutter af med at danse på tilskuerens hat og knuse hans ur med tilskuerens accept.
"Hoodoo McFiggin's Jul" handler om en dreng, der ikke får sine ønsker opfyldt til jul.
"John Smith's Levned" handler om en helt almindelig mands liv beskrevet på samme måde som en kendt og agtet person.
"En Mønsterdialog" handler om hvordan man slipper for at se på amatørkortkunstnere.
"Tilbage til Naturen" handler om forfatterens ven Billy, der forsøger at få ham med ud på strabadserende ture i naturen, men helt uden held.
"Tanker vedrørende Ridning" handler om forfatterens erfaringer med at sammenligne cykler og heste.
"A, B og C" handler om de fiktive personer A, B og C kendt fra regneopgaver med fx grøftegravning og kaffeblanding.
"Q" handler om en spiritistisk oplevelse, som tydeligt for alle andre end fortælleren blot går ud på at suge penge op af lommen på ham.
"Guvernanten Gertrude" handler om en mortenkorchklicheparodi, hvor den ukendte arving og den tapre, men arveløse arving finder sammen og alle fjender dør omkring dem.
"Vor Tids Helt" handler om en nytilkommen bybo, der må gå så meget ondt igennem før han bliver forbryder og derfor forfremmet til samfundsstøtte.
"Mænd, som har raget mig" handler om frisører og barberere.
"En supersensitiv Sjæls Sorger" handler om en kærligheds historie ført ud i overdrevet.
"Julianes Jul" handler om alle juleklicheers moder, de to fortabte sønner med hver sin redning til de fattige forældre og den fattige hustru med det spæde barn.
"Asbestmanden" handler om fremtiden, hvor døden er afskaffet og telefoner, arbejde og børn forresten også - og folk går i asbesttøj, fordi det holder så længe.

Spøjse historier, ofte med en overraskende handling eller pointe.

Satirical short story collection about the lives of the American upper class. I enjoyed this one. I think my favorite story was about a pretend guru who gathers bored rich women to learn his “oriental” wisdom and then makes off with their jewelry. Or maybe it was the one about the great financial genius who turns out to be a country man who knows nothing and just struck it rich by accident and just wishes he could get back to his old home.

This collection of 10 literary pastiches made me laugh out loud a LOT. At least once per story I was at least snorting, if not outright shrieking with laughter. My favourite stories were the detective story parody and the sea story parody — they were so over the top, it was perfect. I did get unironically invested in the old homestead story too.

This might almost be even funnier than Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, although I’d have to read that again to be sure. At any rate, I would certainly recommend this for anyone who has a nodding acquaintance with the various genres of Victorian fiction. They may also be funny on their own, because they are so delightfully absurd.

Stephen Leacock was a Canadian humorist whose work was widely syndicated in both Canada and the U.S. In fact, his Wikipedia page includes the statement, "Also, between the years 1915 and 1925, Leacock was the most popular humourist in the English-speaking world." They include four sources for that statement, so I think it's safe to say that if it isn't strictly speaking true, it is at least not an unreasonable claim to make about Leacock's popularity at that time. When I was a kid in the early 1960s it did seem to me that every house we went to had a copy of Laugh with Leacock sitting around, often in the same Cardinal Giant paperback version my parents had.

Anyway, as you would guess (if you didn't already know), Laugh with Leacock is a collection of Leacock's most favored columns. The book was originally published in 1913. My hardcover copy is a nineteenth printing, dated 1945, which will give you an idea of Leacock's staying power. Some of these stories/columns now seem dated, but most of them still supply at least a chuckle, and some even had me laughing out loud. Just for an example, here is the opening of "How My Wife and I Built Our Home for $4.90:"

"I was leaning up against the mantelpiece in a lounge suit which I had made out of old ice bags, and Beryl, my wife, was seated at my feet on a low Louis Quinze tabouret which she had made out of a Finnan Haddie fishbox, when the idea of a bungalow came to both of us at the same time. . . ."

Not a knee-slapper, but an introduction that promises a column of gentle, effective humor, a take down of "Do It Yourself For Less," which then goes on to deliver on that promise. Once the bungalow idea has been put in motion and a suitable site found and purchased (for $1.50) . . .

"Owing perhaps to my inexperience, it took me the whole of the morning to dig out a cellar forty feet long and twenty feet wide. Beryl, who had meantime cleaned up the lot, stacked the lumber, lifted away the stones and planted fifty yards of hedge, was inclined to be a little impatient. But I reminded her that a contractor working with a gang of man and two or three teams of horses would have taken a while week to do what I did in one morning. I admitted that my work was not equal to the best records as related in the weekly home journals, where I have often computed that they move 100,000 cubic feet of earth in one paragraph, but at least I was doing my best."

Well, anyway, if these excerpts seem amusing and/or charming to you, then you will understand my enjoyment of this collection. I can see, though, where this sort of thing wouldn't be everybody's cup of tea. I would say that the book is about a 50-50 split between a little obvious and dated on the one hand and still providing a happy chuckle, at least, on the other.½

A book of humorous essays by an English immigrant to Canada. An academic, in Economics and Political Science, he was during the 1920's, the most popular humourist in the English-speaking world. He is still bang on for some themes. This collection is of lesser works, not rising to the heights of "Gertrude the Governess", or "Guido the Gillet", or the sustained effort of "Sunshine Sketches", this book will still provide several chuckles at a reading.

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a look at life in a small Canadian town in the turn of the century (19th and 20th). It is told in a series of vignettes highlighting different members of the community. While Leacock is telling the reader the story of Mariposa, it could be any small town. I am sure the characters and situations would be familiar to those in small towns all over North America, and I believe that was Leacock's intention. He tells their stories with humor, often highlighting the character's weaknesses with affection. Leacock does a wonderful job of reminding readers why they left their own small towns, but also why they will always remember their time there fondly.

Arcadian Adventures does for the big city what Sunshine Sketches does for little towns. The leafy, opulent Plutoria Avenue is the focus of these eight stories chronicling the exploits of the city’s wealthy and influential. The book was first published in 1914 and, while the city may be taken to be an American one, the model of the main drag and the university is most likely Montreal. I particularly liked the story of Mr. Tomlinson and his fortune, while the story of the rival churches St. Asaph’s and St. Osoph’s strangely had me wishing to read more on Presbyterianism. The satire still feels relevant today, although some details might change, such as the trends and fads embarked upon by the ladies in Mrs. Rasselry-Brown’s posse. I would still recommend Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town to a first-time Leacock reader, but this one is worth tracking down next.

Too sweet and simple really, more like a children's book.

"Γύρισα. Η δεσποινίς Κρόυντεν στεκό­ταν όρθια μπροστά μου. Όπως μπόρεσα να διαπιστώσω, είχε βγάλει τις κάλτσες της και τριγυρνούσε ξυπόλυτη. Μια ξυπόλυτη γυναίκα -οφείλω να τo oμολογήσω- είναι κάτι που με συγκινεί ιδιαίτερα. Επιπλέον, η νεαρή κυρία, με την ενστικτώδη εκείνη γυναικεία κοκεταρία, είχε δέσει ένα ματσάκι φύκια στα μαλλιά της. Τα φύκια είναι κάτι στο οποίο επίσης είμαι ανίκανος να αντισταθώ. Εντούτοις κατάφερα να συγκρατήσω τον εαυτό μου..."

Το υπερωκεάνιο Παταγονία βουλιάζει και σώζονται σε μια λέμβο ένας άντρας και μια γυναίκα. Εξοκέλλουν σ' ένα έρημο νησί και ζουν μια παρωδία έρωτα, γεμάτη αναπάντεχα κι ευτράπελα συμβάντα.
Ο Groucho Marx, θαυμαστής του Λήκοκ, γράφει: "Είναι ένας από τους πιο αστείους τύπους που γνωρίζω... Έτσι και ξεκινήσεις να τον διαβάζεις, δεν μπορείς πλέον να σταματήσεις".
Ο σπουδαίος Καναδός συγγραφέας Robertson Davies σημειώνει: "Για να είναι κανείς σπουδαίος χιουμορίστας όπως ο Λήκοκ, πρέπει να διαθέτει ασυνήθιστα μεγάλα αποθέματα ενσυναίσθησης και να εξισορροπεί το κωμικό, στη μια άκρη της συναισθηματικής ζυγαριάς, με την κατανόηση του τραγικού στην άλλη".

Biblionet

This is a series of essays in which Stephen Leacock compares England with North America in order to find similarities and differences. He is doing this in a spirit of redressing the "balance of trade" in impressions; lots of English authors have come to North America to get impressions of it, but not many North Americans have done the same for England. In a historical context, it was interesting to read because it was published in 1922, and a few essays touched on the question of German reparations. It's weird as a 21st-century reader to read it and know that World War 2 will happen, but the audience at the time of the book has no idea.

Overall, the essays were easy to read, and I really liked the essay on different types of humour (although he and I disagree on the hilarity of the pun -- I love puns, whereas he does not think they are terribly funny, at least not on the level the English apparently find them). However, his essay on education (and visiting Oxford) had some very dated and sexist views on the value of women's education. Despite the fact that he taught coed classes at McGill, he didn't seem to think it worthwhile for the women to be there because the vast majority of them were just going to go and get married anyway. He does acknowledge that there are women who are able to make careers for themselves and not get married or have children, but he doesn't seem to think it wrong that they should have to give up the use of their education or their jobs when they get married. He also touches on the subject of different aptitudes, but he divides them along gender lines, assuming that women do worse at math and science, for example. I do realize that this perspective is a product of his times, but he went on about it for too long for me to just brush off.

I would NOT recommend the essay about Oxford, but the humour essay was all right, and the one where he writes the same editorial for several different newspapers was an interesting literary exercise. This is also not the book to be starting out with if you've never read Leacock -- go to Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town instead.½

This collection of humorous short stories by one of Canada's most famous writers was published in 1910, and it represented his first work of fiction. The best stories were moderately amusing, most notably "My Financial Career", in which a nervous man opens and closes his first bank account in one visit; "How to be a Doctor", a guide to the practice of modern medicine and the care of the patient, in which removal of various body parts is essential to forming diagnoses; and "The New Food", a description of highly concentrated food pellets and the unfortunate demise of a baby who gobbled a bottle of them at a time. Unfortunately there were far more misses than hits in this collection, which was undoubtedly more amusing a century ago than it is now.

This was pure unadulterated satirical fun. The title tells you what to expect. The collection of vignettes is full of small town characters that could be found anywhere in America, and apparently in Canada, at any time from the late 19th century right up to the present time. You might have to look harder for them these days, but I know they are still out there, seeing the world from their front porches and bar stools rather than through the lenses of the Big Guys in the City. Every ordinary little episode is laced with cleverness and affectionate humor. My favorite by far was the disastrous (but routine) sinking of the excursion steamer on Lake Wissanoti, with about half the town aboard. Picture the Mariposa Belle settling comfortably to the bottom of the six-foot deep lake, and its passengers handily snatching their would-be rescuers from unseaworthy rowboats and dinghies in "one of the smartest pieces of rescue work ever seen on the lake." You might think of Mark Twain, or Garrison Keillor, while reading this.

I am alone? This book contains some of the most devastating pastiches of the popular fiction of the 1920s! The lead piece is one of the funniest takes I ever read on "Jane Eyre" (okay perhaps the bar is low here,) but really? Stephen Leacock was the most read comedic writer in North America after the death of Mark Twain, and is sidesplitting. Until replaced by S.J. Perelman, he rocked comic writing, and was very highly thought of by Will Rogers, and Kaufman! Perhaps this book was a slow seller.
He was a Canadian, and the richest Canadian writer in his time.
Do read this book and any others by this author, (except his very pedestrian "History of Canada") especially "My Remarkable Uncle", a wonderfully wistful memoir.

While not quite at the same level as Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, this collection of articles and pastiches is an enjoyable book to nibble on, a couple of stories at a time. I particularly enjoyed the ones that dealt with the book world: "A Sample of a Thousand-Guinea Novel" and "The Reading Public" had me snorting with laughter on the bus, and "Our Reading Bureau" sounded like something that could actually work today (or maybe even already exists in the form of book reviewing sites such as this one). Fans of Wodehouse, particularly Mr Mulliner, might enjoy the "Afternoon Adventures at My Club", and those who are more familiar with current affairs at the time of WW1 might get more out of stories like "The Last Man in Europe" and "Sidelights on the Supermen: An Interview with General Bernhardi". Overall, a good collection.

this is not Leacock's best work. It could be seen as from the American or Canadian point of view, pretty much a by-the-numbers put-down of the Brits. the chapter on pronunciation is the funniest.

These short pieces reveal a very keen mind, for each one is a devastating review of the genres available to the reading public in the early years of the twentieth century. Each one is also very funny, as well as hitting all the bases that made such books hits with the general public. Lots of fun, and also very useful in keeping the reader informed about the quality of any subsequent reading they indulge in.½

"I don't know whether you know Mariposa. If not, it is of no consequence, for if you know Canada at all, you are probably well acquainted with a dozen towns just like it."

This book is widely regarded as a classic example of Canadian literature. Its reputation as a funny book is also well known, given that its author is the namesake of an award for humour writing. But does it live up to the hype? After all, it was published over 100 years ago; humour can change a lot in that length of time. Fortunately, wry humour is relatively timeless. Leacock relates the adventures (or non-adventures) of the denizens of Mariposa with a flair for the dramatic and tongue firmly lodged in cheek. It's based at least in part on Leacock's experiences in the town of Orillia, Ontario, which has since adopted the name of the Sunshine City in tribute. However, residents of small towns across Canada might recognize a few of the characters as living in their own towns.

This was a book where, at the end of a chapter, I would say "That has to be my favourite chapter." Then I would read the next chapter and say "No, that's my favourite chapter." And so on. Each story is self-contained, making it a very good book to read on the bus or as a bedside book, and each showcases a different character or set of characters. My favourite stories were the ones where a minor event was blown completely out of proportion by the townspeople, such as "The Mariposa Bank Mystery" and the classic "The Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias", with honourable mention to "The Great Election in Missinaba County" for making me laugh lightheartedly about politics for a change (as opposed to cynically).

If you like books set in small towns, or the early days of Canada, then you should check out this book. The recent CBC adaptation, featuring Gordon Pinsent as the elder Stephen Leacock, is also well worth looking into.½

Published in 1912, the sketches are a Canadian Classic. An example that a tragedy or a comedy is dependant on the attitude of the audience. Everyone would have liked to live in Mariposa, but we increasingly do not get the chance. Both Twain and Leacock are describing towns of their youth, so the audience is somewhat insulated from the experiences described. Useful comic patina is laid on but the pain still apparent .
After all that analysis, this is fun to read, and I have twice.

The question is often whether humour is of all times and of all places -- well, it isn't. Stephen Butler Leacock may have been one of the funniest authors in his time, to readers today his prose, particularly the humour in it, appears as old hat and humbug.

The short stories of Stephen Butler Leacock are all set during the first quarter of the Twentieth Century, around 1912, or thereabout. Automobiles were a novelty back then, and life ticked at a slower pace. Leacock's humour is wordy and bawdy. His prose relies heavily on dialogue, so the conversational parts of the stories are similar to the most stilted dialogues in the early cinema of the 1940s and 50s.

Chinese publishers regularly bring out series of books, particularly such which are now in the public domain. This particular series, by Shanghai Joint Publishing, consists of two volumes each: a volume consisting of the Chinese translation and a companion volume with the English original. These types of publications are often cash cows, and unfortunately Chinese publishers lack the expertise to prepare such publications carefully, and the unwillingness to invest just a little bit more money to get things done properly. This volume of The selected humorous stories of Leacock did not have many errors in the text, but various errors in the titles of the short stories.

Another feature of books by Chinese publishers is that they may have an introduction, but usually omit a critical text history. It is never very clear what you are reading, or where it comes from. The Chinese introduction, in the Chinese volume, mentions that the last five "stories" are in facts chapters 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 from Leacock's novel Sunshine Sketches of a little town. In the index of the English companion volume this is not made clear.

Altogether in interesting sample of the prose of this near-forgotten author.

2.5 stars

This is a history of the explorers of Northern Canada. Unfortunately, I was primarily reading this in an area where I was very distracted. It should have been an interesting topic, but it really wasn't much able to hold my attention. One bonus is that it's short, though.½