Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, I now realize, truly is a gem of a book. Initially, I hated it. About forty pages into it, my eyelids became heavy with fatigue, my thoughts about friends, food, the meaning of life, etc. usurped any effort I was putting into comprehending the text. It was as though I was waiting for some sort of climax that never came. There was some hope for some sort of drama when the Mariposa Belle sank.....but no, everything was OK since the lake's greatest depth reaches a mere six feet.

So what changed my perception of the book? Well, after tossing it on my bed and giving myself time to jump on my massive trampoline outside, I entered my room 30 minutes later with a clear mind. I suddenly realized that this is not supposed to be a book that takes you on an intense emotional rollercoaster because it is merely describing the trifling events of a small town in the middle of nowhere. Of course, the inhabitants of Mariposa would argue that these events are far from trifling. So by then allowing myself to read the book through the lens of a Mariposian (?) I could truly appreciate each story.

I love how Leacock has undeniable tones of satire woven throughout each tale, yet he never ceases to also demonstrate a strong sense of pride of the small town. While he can blatantly admit that the people of Mariposa may not be the brightest people and may have a skewed view of their town's role in the scheme of the rest of the world, he also points out the endearing aspects of life in the bustling town. I suppose you could say that Leacock "gently mocks" the town, but maintains warm feelings toward it, as it is obvious that the narrator is a proud Mariposa citizen.

I suppose what I like most about the book is that Leacock is not trying to pound some big life lesson into the reader's head. He is not out to alter your way of thinking, or present you with some awe-inspiring superhuman tale. In fact, it is quite the opposite. He is simply describing the essence of life in a small town. I think that many of us can relate to the interractions between the people of Mariposa and the little quirky, harmless delusions that are easy to get sucked into. Leacock has created a very clever series of vignettes that comment on human nature at it's most raw state.

I finished reading Sunshine this past weekend, and found that initially I had a lot of difficulty getting and remaining intrigued by the story. There didn't seem to be any real plot that wove through the entire story, but having now finished it I can see that what Leacock was trying to do was not to simply tell us of an event or a person that we should admire, but was merely painting us a picture of what he considered an idyllic and happy little town.

One thing I noted more than anything else, was how much pride each of the characters took in their town and its day-to-day life. For example, the Whirlwind Campaign and its attempts to raise a gross amount of money to save the church from its accumulating debt. There clearly was no actual structure to this plan, but the residents and all the 'businessmen' were so enthused and anxious to help. It amused me greatly how the men who were participating in this campaign were the businessmen, the ones who in any other situation would have thought their business plan through to realize that there was no actual plan of action! The only one who acted as a true businessman was Mr. Smith who donated $200 on the contingency that all of the daily meetings take place in his caff...he comes out looking like a generous man, and yet ends up making back all of his money if not more!

Overall, I came away from reading this feeling as though I could relate to it in so many ways. I grew up in a town of no more than 4000 residents. Every little event was always blown way out of proportion and yet if anything were to go wrong, the entire town came together as a community to amend it. We even have town meetings still once a year, where a great majority of the residents attend to put in their say. I think it would be interesting to re-read this book now having thought about the overall picture much more.

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town was such a wonderful read and a fantastic piece of literature to start the course with. The episodic nature of the novel and the way that the focus in characters constantly zoomed in and out between central characters and the entire town as a character was very refreshing to say the least.

I have to admit, with a title like "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town" and a cover to match (the cover illustration featured a fat man standing on a porch with, in my imagination, a sleeping Coon Hound and pitcher of southern sweet tea just out of frame). Judgment should never be passed with just outward appearances, but instinctively, I equipped my mind for a boring read. Of course, I was wrong, and I learned later on that the character in the illustration was Mr. Smith, who would become my favorite character in the entire novel.

The entire novel was just stuffed with snappy charm and the characters were so detailed and meticulously cared for that by the time I was half-way through with the novel, I felt like I was checking in with old friends that I've been reading about for volumes upon volumes. The way that Mr. Smith concealed his illiteracy (having someone else read something first, then concurring), how Pumpkin and Gallis shot each other (and were described as being dead, then ascending steps of seriousness until their injuries were practically nothing), or Thorp's rise and fall to riches were some highlights of characterization that brought me to laughter.

The fun tone of the novel and complete lack of true stoicism (though there were some satirically serious points) was great. The novel didn't expect anything of the reader, only that we give it a chance and enjoy it at our own pace, and that is something that we don't have too much of in most literature. This was the kind of novel that can be enjoyed by all ages, it's like a Miyazaki film, or a circus troupe. Which is amazing in retrospect of the simple nature of the story and the small scope of the narrative.

My first reaction to Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town was that it reminded me of the constant gossip and drama that runs through my hometown. Reading Leacock is like listening to one of my mom’s friends talk about an event that is going on in town, or someone’s personal struggles. I am also reading Dostoevsky’s House of the Dead, which is written in the similar style of recording events into different chapters, but I don’t like Leacock has resolutions to the endings of his chapters; he makes the reader feel like there is more to come, but it doesn’t happen at that time and place.
I was surprised how much thought and detail went into each character. Leacock did a good job at making the reader feel as if he/she knows the fictional characters. He mentions each characters most personal details to add as much depth to the character in the shortest amount of pages possible. The narrator at times is very unreliable, but it is not hard to understand a persons true character because of the excessive detail.
I thought the most interesting story of the book was the unusual love story with Peter Pupkin and Zena Pepperleigh; the fact that Pupkin thinks he isn’t good enough for Zena makes the story interesting, and because the narrator tells us that Pupkin is going to kill himself because of his quality, and because of severe jealousy. The intertwining of Pupkin’s umpteenth suicide attempt and the robbery of the bank was very interesting because it is one of the few stories that has a completely resolved ending. This particular story is like a fairytale and might as well end with “happily ever after”.

Initially I was not too thrilled about Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. This was established through Leacock's description of this small generic Canadian town. Once I met Mr. Smith my interest in the story grew. I love the description of Mr. Smith's exploits and his large personality that is magnified by the quaintness of the town.

As I continued to read about Mariposa it became clear what it must be like to be part of such a close tight-knit community. In the chapter about the Mariposa Belle sinking, there is a passage that compares the boat going out on the lake and famous world renowned events in Venice and India. It becomes clear that the people of Mariposa are extremely proud of their heritage and they can find joy and excitement in something that many people would dismiss as mundane.

Although each chapter in the book was disjointed from the others, except the ones about Pupkin, the end of the book made it clear that the story was about the town itself and the relationships that each person had with it and each other.

I really enjoyed reading Sunshine Sketches of a Little town. Growing up in a small town I can relate to much of the story. I can still remember when I was growing up we also had a controversy over the population of our town. No one could agree where the town line should be or whether it should be spread into the surrounding areas. It was a topic of great discussion for many years and as in Mariposa it has never actually been solved. Even Mr. Smith reminds me of the one hotel owner in my town. He is the same overweight man who can be found at the bar in the evening chatting with the townspeople who have come in to see him. It makes me think of home every time he is discussed.

When I first began reading this book I didn't understand where he was trying to take the story. I am used to reading books that are heading in a certain direction and this book seemed content to base itself around descriptions. It took me about halfway through reading the novel before I realized this was the point. I had to take a step back and realize that Leacock was not trying to create one unified novel with a continuous storyline but trying to give us small glimpses of this town in Canada. He showed us a town that could be anywhere in the world. He was able to let us relate to this place on a personal level and the way he was able to do this is amazing.

I have to say that I loved the book "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town". I love the characters in the book, especially Mr. Smith. For me the book was a book that although there are many different and seperate sotries within, always had the same feel of life in the small town. The opening scene in the book where Leacock describes the town of Mariposa, was all it took for me to decide that I loved the feel of the setting. The lake on which Mariposa is situated around,the way the town is built just up the hill from it, the way everyone knows everyone. It just reminds me of a little summer vacation town.
As a lot of people commented on both in class and on the blog, almost all of us are able to somewhat identify with the small town of Mariposa, whether we know someone from a small town or grew up in one ourselves. This is a book that when I first picked up, I thought I was going to hate and as it turned out it is one of the best I have ever read.

When I frst began reading Sunshine Sketches I definately was not a fan. Had I been busy that day, I probably would have found a good excuse not to read it, but I wasn't, so I gave it a chance.
The more I read I began to enjoy the book, and I think that Leacock did an excellent job of describing Mariposa and the characters. I especially enjoyed reading about Jeff, the barber. He reminded me of friends from home who love to talk and seem to have all the answers. I was intrigued by his invesment in mining which yeilded great returns. It is kind of a dream for me to invest in soemthing that becomes so valuable, and enjoy reading stories about people who have done that.
I also enjoyed the "small town" characteristic's that Mariposa has. It seems that everything in Mariposa seems to be exaggerated, from the census to the huge beautiful lake. It reminded me of my home town where everything seems to get beefed up by the residents in order to stir up some type of excitement.
The book really grabbed my attention when I met Mr. Smith. I expected the characters to be dull and not very exciting becasue of the setting. I liked how Mr. Smith brought his "big time" attitude to Mariposa. He had great ideas for businesses and seemed to be the black sheep of the town. He always was thinking of bigger and better investment ideas to make money, where everyone else in town seemed to be content with their current situation.
Overall I was impressed by Leacocks ability to grab my attention in a book that I did not think I would enjoy. It wasn't my favorite book I have read, but I would definately classify it as a good book.

When I first opened "Sunshine Sketches" I was expecting many short stories all different in nature and not related to each other. In my experience most novels consisting of multiple short stories do not all have relavence to each other. This book read like a novel, all of the stories connecting to each other, all revolving around this small Canadian town called Mariposa. I enjoyed the book since I as well grew up in a very small town that sometimes felt like it was in the middle of nowhere. In small towns like this one, every little action that takes place is observed. Unlike a suburban area or a city, all of the citizens know each others actions at any given time. People talk and others listen, sometimes resulting in rumors or bitter relationships.
Leacock did a great job describing all the characters and the town structure itself. The character of Mr. Smith was enjoyable to read about because in my hometown we had a man just like Mr. Smith who was large in figure but also large in importance around the town. The way that leacock described all the characters and buildings was interesting because he successfully painted the entire picture of Mariposa in my head while I was reading without using over-descriptive sentences that sometimes drag on, boring the reader. He also created a sense of tradition and repetition that is very prevelant in small town life, like in chapter 7 and the story of Mr. Punkin.
Overall this book was a much better read than I originally thought it would be. I enjoyed Leacock's way of writing that kept the reader enthused with what was happening, and intriguied to read the next story because some questions might be answered from a previous story.

When I first opened Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, all I could do was smile. What Leacock said was right—Mariposa could be dozens of towns, my hometown included. I was intrigued and excited to explore the coming plot and storyline of the book. And yet, it never came and nevertheless I found myself immersed in the anecdotes. Even in present day, the passion and heart of a small town is easily overlooked by outsiders. Leacock captures this essence however, and presents it in a tangible and relatable way that everyone can appreciate. Small town life is trite, amusing, and full of gossip. The way Leacock treats the reader as a passer-by through this quaint town, brings us that much closer to the characters and the town happenings themselves. Not only did it make the reader want more of the book, it wholeheartedly involved you and showed you what life in a little town is truly like. Since there was no main plot line, you felt as if you were just in Mr. Smith’s “caff”, enjoying a meal with one of the locals.

In a small town, besides gossiping, there is nothing better to do than get wrapped up in the politics and excitement of events. Leacock says it best on page 125: “Election times are exciting enough even in the cities. But there the excitement dies down in business hours. In Mariposa there aren’t any business hours and the excitement goes on all the time.” Mariposa’s events are characterized as important, traditional, necessary, and loved, no matter how small-scale to the eye of another. A small town focuses all of their energy on something that might get watered down or lost in a city.

However, there is always the lure and appeal of moving to the “big city”, striking the silver, moving up and moving on. Everyone tries to appear to be someone better; a barber who is very “worldly”, and Mr. Smith, a business man who brings a city “caff” to the small town and is unable to read are two great examples of this. No matter where you go in life, making it in the city or alternative endeavors, you will always be from a small town and have the memories of living the small-town life. Leacock lets us enjoy the scenes he sketches, appreciate humans and their tendencies, and the over-dramatization of social experiences. There is no denying that he does it quite well.

Like many other students in this class, I had a poor initial reaction to Sunshine Sketches. My favorite books are ones that follow a distinct plotline and pull you in with dramatic events. In the first chapters I found my mind wandering and trying to latch on to the characters but not getting the connection I was hoping for. It was not until the big changes started to occur, such as the reinvention of the bar and the sinking of the Mariposa Belle, that I really start to get into the story. The way the town responded to these situations was comical and so typical of a small community, being so engulfed in their tiny town and hardly seeing the larger picture.
It also painted a beautiful picture of Canadian life for me. Mariposa is any small town, as we discussed in class, and even though that statement seems to encompass so much, it truly gives you an intimate look at the types of characters one might find in their tiny communities up north. It also illustrates how Canada itself might be seen as a tiny community.
Finally, one thing that I loved about this book was the voice. If you've ever sat around a group of old-timers and listened to their stories about the days when they were younger, you'd understand that Leacock has it just right. He includes his reader in the story as if you are right there beside him. I loved the "you knows" and "remember whens". Reading this book makes you part of Mariposa.

After beginning "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town" I was somewhat disappointed that nothing seemed to really be happening in story. Leacock would seemingly just start a story and then just sort of drift off and then begin another chapter and another story. This initaly left me with a bad taste in my mouth until I realized what Leacock was going for with the writing and the style. Reading Leacock's narrations made me feel like we were both member of Mariposa and were just exchanging gossip over a beer time and time again. The lack of endings to the stories really added to this feeling because in a small town everyone knows everyone and knows everyones business, or at least bits and pieces that they pick up through gossip and to me the way Leacock just abruptly ended chapters left me with a feeling that he had just heard this story from someone who heard it from someone and so on and he was just relating what version of the actual story he heard to us the reader. For a while this bothered me, but eventually I found the whole idea pretty funny and had to put myself into the situation as a citizen of the small town to realize how funny it all was because on the surface it just seemed to bore me, as others in the class have already said. In addition, some of the stories were just ridiculous to the point that I can't believe they would happen, even in a small town, but the fact that the characters were taking the situations seriously made it pretty funny. Overall, I went from really disliking this book in the beginning to finding it funny and amusing in the end.

In reading the other posts, I wonder 'Was I supposed to have an initial negative reaction?' Well, I didn't, for from the beginning I truly enjoyed Leacock's writing.
While I can relate Mariposa to some towns in Vermont, I grew up both in a small town and overseas, so that wasn't my first reaction. While this page reference wouldn't be the first time I opened the book, I feel it does show Leacock's ability center an entire book (or collection of stories) around a small town as he simply gives substance through the characters. And tons of it. On pg. 83, he says of Judge Pepperleigh 'On the days when he swore at the sprinkler you could see his spectacles flash like dynamite. But the on the days when he called 'Hullo, mother,' they were simply irradiated with kindness.' This is just one snapshot of what he does with the characters, taking these small town folk and having the ability to make their lives into works of literature.
As I started reading through with my pen, noting places that I was amazed at his skill, they added up quickly. Just as Howard Frank Mosher or Chris Bohjalian can take a small town and make an entire novel out of it through developing the characters, so can Stephen Leacock. And while it may not by 'exciting' for some kids, it's an incredible read.

After reading “Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town” I was disappointed at that lack of excitement. I am a person who loves to read and I found my mind wandering to other thoughts every few pages. This forced me to go back and reread what I just had. This of course lengthened the time I spend reading this novel. When I finished the novel I sat starting at the cover wondering why Leacock would choose to write in such a manner. Until yesterday when we discussed it in class I was still baffled. Now I understand that reason he made the novel seem so (for lack of a better word) vague. Leacock mentioned in the preface that Marisposa could have been seventy or eighty different towns. The people did not reflect real people. This makes it so the reader can connect with the novel. I have grown up in a small town and in a big city. The small town I grew up in had similarities to the people and situations in the story.
After hearing the thoughts of the other students in the class I should have known better than to be a quick judgment about this book. The novel was filled with hidden humor that only a deep and thorough read would show. The description of the character especially Mr. Smith made it so the reader had a connection with them and could even compare them to other people they have known from small towns.

My first reaction to "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town" was somewhat limited. Finding it difficult to fully invest my mind into the novel at first, my reaction was inevitably dispassionate. I listened in on other students' reactions to the novel before the start of class last tuesday. I, however, was only a few pages into it at that point. Trying not let this affect or alter the way in which I read, I emptied my mind of all the negative and positive murmurs I had witnessed. This was a difficult feat, of course, but I knew it had to be done in order to develop my own genuine opinion.
It was crucial to read the preface before beginning the novel because it helped me to better understand who Stephen Leacock was as a person. I would later find that this miniscule glimpse of Leacock's life explicated the entirety of his prose and made the novel more enjoyable. Without the preface, I might not have comprehended the sarcastic humor.
I can not say that this is one of my favorite novels by any comparison, however, I thoroughly enjoyed nearly every minute of reading it. The characters that Leacock created were colorful and intriguing. Thus, his character design and vivid descriptions of Mariposa are what made the novel so enticing. Ultimately, Leacock deserves much praise for writing such a successful novel about a small town with little going on. After reading some of the other comments, It was clear that people were expecting some climactic or epic event and were disappointed when this did not happen. I, however, was not disappointed in any way upon finishing the novel because I knew that Leacock's intention was not to fabricate a town disaster, but instead to simply create a bring to life the everyday happenings of a small town.

I spent a little time reading other people's comments before writing my own, and was a little surprised at how many people had a negative reaction to the book, at first, though I was pleased to see that everyone seemed to start enjoying it as much as I did after they got over the unorthodox storytelling.
Personally, I enjoyed the story from the start. The open, very free descriptiveness was a plus for me, though it seemed to be a bone with most of the people here. It certainly might have been boring if not for all of the character that Leacock inserts into the town. He does not just describe the color of the buildings and the route the ferry takes, he tells us what kind of people live there, what they think, why they think what they think, and most importantly how their perceptions are colored by everything around them. I think this last part is particularly insightful, since one can find this kind of thinking even in a big city, where people might imagine themselves as being inherently superior to small towns like Mariposa.
What also made the book enjoyable was all the humor that Leacock inserts. There are not any true laugh-out-loud moments, but there are numerous subtle jokes that are not only funny, but delve futher into the minds of the townspeople, showing how their perceptions clash so obviously with reality, a fact which does not seem to make any difference or produce any consequence.
The book may not be action-packed, but for being so unconventional and heavily descriptive, it shows a surprising depth of feeling on the part of the author, to be perceived by the reader.

After finishing Sunshine Sketches and examining the novel/short story collection/fictional piece more closely in class, I formulated an idea of my own. When comparing Leacock's preface to the body of the work, I found resounding similarities between Leacock himself and his heroic main character, the George Steinbrenner of Mariposa, Mr. Smith. Even though he may not own the New York Yankees, Mr. Smith is a larger than life character- literally 280 pounds. Acting as a vehicle to unite the ever disjunctive plotline, Mr. Smith- to me- symbolizes a possible fantastical represenation of Leacock himself, "Canada's answer to Mark Twain".
Like the textual depiction of Mr. Smith within the body, the visual representation of the Hotel owner on the cover appears gargantuan and dignified. Flipping to the back cover, the photograph displays Leacock as a large and astute man as well. While Leacock labored on a family run farm, Mr. Smith toiled in more fantastical venues of manual labor, such as railroads and lumberyards. Both were self made men, educated and successful businessmen. Both profess individualistic qualities and have a great worldly perspective. Finally, the legacy of Mr. Smith- the hero of the sinking ship and fire- culminates in his running for office and securing political power. Leacock, a political science lecturer and writer, belonged to the Canadian Conservative Party.
Maybe I am pushing something that is not there, but to me it is quite possible that Mr. Smith could have been based upon a more fantastical and outrageous representation of Leacock himself.

After reading the first couple of chapters (can they be called chapters if this isn't really a novel in the traditional sense?) I started to have a greater appreciation for the book. Most of the stuff I have read from this time period is either somebody using a lot of $5 words to describe a quaint hillside village, whereas this kind of turns that on it's ear. I believe it does this mostly through the use of the narrator's voice.

The greast thing about it is that he is able to be completely sarcastic about the scenes in his town but also describe things in a way that makes the reader (well, at least me) want to have been there for all of this. The closest example I can give of what I mean by this is the chapter about the Marine Excursion of the Knights of Pythias. While I was reading this chapter I was trying to pin a contemporary humorist's voice to the words and one name came up above all others. Bruce McCulloch. For those of you scratching your head, he's the one of the Kids in the Hall. IMDB his name, you'll recognize him from something. Anyway, I thought to myself, "This is Bruce's voice." If you are familiar with the show then you know that they often do long monologues in which only one of the actors is on the stage (duh, MONOlogue). That actor's job is to engage the audience and break the fourth wall, make them part of the story. These are usually outlandish and always hilarious. In fact, I wonder if the Kids need any material for a new show... there's plenty here that could be worked with.

As pretty much everyone else has mentioned, sunshine sketches was a little difficult to get into. when i first started reading it, it seemed too simple and i felt like i couldn't connect to the style.
about 50 pages in i started to realize the hilarity of leacock's writing, ie. his descriptions and witty one-liners. i was reading the book alone in my living room and several times i literally lol-ed (as in laughed out loud).that usually doesn't happen in real life while you're reading a book.
my favorite parts of the book were the times when leacock would spend 30 pages describing a event, such as a the heated election debate in mariposa, between the liberals and the conservative. then after all the election was decided, he writes "It turned out that there wasn't really a Liberal in the whole town and there never had been(250).
The way in which leacock writes a story that is so silly, and so sarcastic amazes me. and the fact that is a classic is even better.
as i got more accustomed to leacock's style and realized there wasn't going to be any climax, i was able to sit back and enjoy his humor. in the end i loved it.
one of my favorite lines-- describing the grandiose mariposa Belle, "If you see her there in the winter...she looks like a pathetic little thing the size of a butternut. But in summer time, especially after you've been in mariposa for a month or two, and have paddled alongside her in canoe, she gets larger and taller..(63)"
beautiful

When I read the first page I did no really get what it was getting at. I just thought that the narrator was telling about this town that was like one that I would have seen or even possibly lived in. However as I got further into the book the narrator made me feel like I had just moved to Mariposa and he was letting me on all the small town secrets. The fact that he knew that I would not understand the boat sinking made me laugh when I read it. I was thinking a big boat kind of on a Titanic level sinking.

What suprised me what how much I liked the book, especially after reading that first page. I loved the fact that he was so sarcastic while explaining everything but at the same time he made it sounds like so much fun.

After reading the first two pages of Leacock's novel, three times I realized that "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town" was not the type of book to be read while attempting to do laundry. I think that it's a book that needs to be read one chapter/section at a time to truly appreciate the descriptions of the people living in the town of Mariposa. It wasn't until I got through the first 100 or so pages of the novel that I began to enjoy the story line. I found the descriptions of Mr. Pupkin's failed attempts at suicide rather amusing, perhaps because of Leacock's attention to detail. While Pupkin is in the process of planning his suicide he "pictures" the words that will appear in the newspaper on the following day, "APPALLING SUICIDE. PETER PUPKIN POISONED (104)," and "BRILLIANT BOY BANKER BLOWS OUT BRAINS (106)."
The only thing that really suprised me about Leacock's novel was that I was unable to make any connections with his work and any other pieces of literature I have read. I also think that I would have enjoyed the book more had I not waited until Labor Day to read it.

I hated this book as much as I loved it. It seemed as though the author's style compelled me to daydream more with every passing page. Therefore, however increasingly amusing I found each passage, I found the physical act of absorbing the novel was an agonizingly long process. Leacock's intention for his readers to drift off may have been his motive for compiling his separate stories of Mariposa into one "novel". Isolated from one another, and devoid of a preface and final chapter, the passages would seem to have twist endings due to the narrator's initial exaggerations of disaster proving to be quite uneventful in reality. Compiled together, the reader is prepared for the author's sarcastic tone in the preface and is constantly reminded to be wary of the narrator when the reality of events continues to reveal itself. I think the stories combine to create a novel due to the shared setting and characters, but perhaps more importantly through the reader's relationship with the narrator. The vague aspect of the town and characters, for which details are given and the narrator immediately asks that they be forgotten, adds to the reader's longing to drift away. While the reader is in this mindset, they may relate the sketches of Mariposa and its inhabitants to their own fantastical childhood experiences, which have no doubt also been blown out of proportion with time. By the last chapter, "The Train to Mariposa," Leacock confirmed my suspicions by addressing the reader as a victim of modern life, lost in daydreams of a place that is recognizable but impossible to return to.

My first impressions of the book were that it was an easy yet eloquent read that grabbed my attention from pretty much the first page, following the writer's short autobiography which also certainly had some humerous witticisms. One particular amusing item was how he said that once he got the phd, there was nothing left to learn. This struck me as funny because, like many of us, i am around a lot people often who think that they know everything when everyone shold know that no one person ever knows everything about any one thing which is why many of us grasp and enjoy education so much.
Further on in the book, i liked how he said mariposa could be any town because, along with many other members of the class, i too could see how this town could be my own small town in maine. The whole novel made me think of other small town based stories like Cannery Row or Our Town to name just a few. I feel that these kinds of stories always appeal to me as the author takes something we all see everyday, such as our town or memebers of it, and gives each part the depth that we know oursevles from our own communities. The satire of everyday life crysitiallized the experience of small town, anywhere.
Before this class, i was really unaware of any Candadian writers that were not of Native origin as that was the first class that i took with Paul. However, after reading this Leacock book, i feel inclined to read more books by him and other authors i have never heard of because if there are anywhere as good as this one than i will be quite happy.

I found Sunshine Sketches to be a novel full of subtle comedy and storyline that leant itself to a quick read. As the reader I had to pay close attention, for little details and building up of events is what makes this story so special. I think that reading it a second time would open up even more little comic details.

Leacock is a master of creating characters and his character Mr. Smith, who owns the hotel and is elected representative is a man who, to me, represents the enthusiastic people who help keep small towns like mariposa runnning smoothly and independent from others. his characters are easy to picture in one's mind and lend themselves well to comedy. I am looking forward to a second read.

Sunshine sketches of a little town is definately unique and an interesting way to get started into the world of canadian literature. The fact that it was actually a number of short stories compressed into a novel appeared as though it would be more of a collection of stories with little or no connection, but Leacock writes in a way that connects each story based on a number of principles.

My favourite aspect of this novel was the fact that he incorporated a very dry humor, and did this with the idea of a small town and the people in the town, using small town stereotypes to drive this humor. His use of humor but including a compassion for the characters works very well in making us laugh in the same way that we are able to laugh at ourselves and everyday situations. On top of that, each character seems very set in a real world base, and the occurences are also very everyday, and the absurd reactions, as people reacted when the mariposa belle sank in only 6 feet of water, are very real and humorous.

This book is a very enjoyable read and plays upon a very accessible human emotion in order to create comedy and entertainment.