Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town It takes a certain kind of character to see humor in everyday life. It takes an even greater character to express humor in ways that other people can appreciate and subsequently find joy in it. Stephen Leacock is one such character, and his short story collection Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town recognizes, and helps the reader recognize, the need to laugh at their surroundings, their culture, and the people who 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 shrewd insight even as it pertains to everyday small-town life, which serves to further enhance the value of his humor . Just as Leacock was interested in the techniques of humor, he was interested in the language of humor. In addition to the careful selection of language, Leacock said, humor required a "great naturalness" of language, the use of phrases and forms so simple that writers striving for the effect could never achieve them. [Critics] felt that a major reason for Leacock's success was that his style was that of "a talker rather than a writer". Another said... "He spoke to the world. And the speech 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 humor which is fantastic or absurd. In the case of Sunshine Sketches, Leacock's focus is a fictional town in southern Ontario, which could be, and often is, compared to every other town in the country. Leacock immerses the reader in a collection of ordinary characters who become extraordinary through Leacock's understanding of comedy in human nature and within the culture and tradition of a small town. Using elements of both comic and tragic irony, which by definition suggest different divisions between words or events. and their contexts, Leacock not only creates a fun environment for his characters, but also one in which the reader can laugh at situations and idiosyncrasies strikingly similar to their contexts. Own. Events such as the sinking of the Mariposa Belle in six feet of water and subsequent rescue attempts by the Mariposans, the comical courtship rituals of the very shy Peter Pupkin, and the senseless attempts to raise funds on behalf of the church are all examples of these situations sharp and ironic. To understand the irony of any work, one must first appreciate the context of that work. As for Sunshine Sketches, the city of