Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
Encyclopedia
Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a sequence of stories by Stephen Leacock
, first published in 1912.
It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian
humorous
literature
.
The fictional setting for these stories is Mariposa, a small town on the shore of Lake Wissanotti. Although drawn from his experiences in Orillia
, Ontario
, Leacock writes in the introduction:
This work has remained popular for its universal appeal. Many of the characters, though modelled on townspeople of Orillia, are small town archetypes. Their shortcomings and weaknesses are presented in a humorous but affectionate way.
Often, the narrator greatly exaggerates the importance of the events in Mariposa compared to the rest of the world. For example, when there is a country-wide election, "the town of Mariposa, was, of course, the storm centre and focus point of the whole turmoil."
The story of the steamboat
Mariposa Belle sinking in Lake Wissanotti is one of the best-loved in the set. The apparent magnitude of this accident is lessened somewhat when it is revealed that the depth of the water is less than six feet. Men from the town come to the rescue in an un-seaworthy lifeboat which sinks beneath them just as they are pulled onto the steamer, and the narrator earnestly remarks that this was "one of the smartest pieces of rescue work ever seen on the lake."
, by CBC Television
, the network's first foray into Canadian-produced drama. The cast of the series included John Drainie
as the Narrator, Paul Kligman
as John Smith, Timothy Findley
as Peter Pupkin, Eric House as Dean Drone, Peg Dixon as Liliane Drone and Robert Christie
as Golgotha Gingham.
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
, first published in 1912.
It is generally considered to be one of the most enduring classics of Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
humorous
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
.
The fictional setting for these stories is Mariposa, a small town on the shore of Lake Wissanotti. Although drawn from his experiences in Orillia
Orillia, Ontario
Orillia, pronounced ōrĭl'ēə, is a city located in Simcoe County in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, 135 kilometres north of Toronto.Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Leacock writes in the introduction:
- "Mariposa is not a real town. On the contrary, it is about seventy or eighty of them. You may find them all the way from Lake SuperiorLake SuperiorLake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
to the sea, with the same square streets and the same maple trees and the same churches and hotels."
This work has remained popular for its universal appeal. Many of the characters, though modelled on townspeople of Orillia, are small town archetypes. Their shortcomings and weaknesses are presented in a humorous but affectionate way.
Often, the narrator greatly exaggerates the importance of the events in Mariposa compared to the rest of the world. For example, when there is a country-wide election, "the town of Mariposa, was, of course, the storm centre and focus point of the whole turmoil."
The story of the steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Mariposa Belle sinking in Lake Wissanotti is one of the best-loved in the set. The apparent magnitude of this accident is lessened somewhat when it is revealed that the depth of the water is less than six feet. Men from the town come to the rescue in an un-seaworthy lifeboat which sinks beneath them just as they are pulled onto the steamer, and the narrator earnestly remarks that this was "one of the smartest pieces of rescue work ever seen on the lake."
Selected list of characters
- Josh Smith, proprietor of Smith's Hotel, one of the leading citizens of the town.
- Jefferson Thorpe, owner of the barber shop, who engages in mining speculations.
- Golgotha Gingham, the undertaker, to whom people are less interesting when still alive.
- Dean Rupert Drone, reverend of the "Church of England Church," who has to deal with the debt from building a new church.
- Peter Pupkin, a bank teller who loves the Judge's daughter.
- Zena Pepperleigh, Judge Pepperleigh's daughter. She likes to read romantic stories.
- Dr. Gallagher, collector of Indian relics and student of Canadian history.
- Mr Hussell, journalist for the Mariposa Newspacket.
- Christie Johnson, captain of the Mariposa Belle.
- Henry Mullins, manager of the Mariposa Exchange Bank.
- Narrator, an unreliable narratorUnreliable narratorAn unreliable narrator is a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in The Rhetoric of Fiction. This narrative mode is one that can be developed by an author for a number of reasons, usually...
, whose descriptions of the town are biased or absurd.
Television adaptation
In 1952, the book was adapted into a television series, Sunshine SketchesSunshine Sketches (TV series)
Sunshine Sketches, also known as Addison Spotlight Theatre, is a Canadian dramatic television series which aired on CBC Television from 1952 to 1953. It was the first English-language drama to be broadcast on Canadian television.-Premise:...
, by CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, the network's first foray into Canadian-produced drama. The cast of the series included John Drainie
John Drainie
John Robert Roy Drainie was a Canadian actor and television presenter, who was called "the greatest radio actor in the world" by Orson Welles....
as the Narrator, Paul Kligman
Paul Kligman
Paul Kligman was a Canadian actor.Born in Romania, he emigrated to Canada where he spent his youth in Winnipeg and studied at the University of Manitoba. He moved to Toronto in 1950 and established his career there...
as John Smith, Timothy Findley
Timothy Findley
Timothy Irving Frederick Findley, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian novelist and playwright. He was also informally known by the nickname Tiff or Tiffy, an acronym of his initials.-Biography:...
as Peter Pupkin, Eric House as Dean Drone, Peg Dixon as Liliane Drone and Robert Christie
Robert Christie (actor)
Robert Christie was a Canadian actor and director.He was born in Toronto in 1913 and received a B.A. from the University of Toronto. In 1936, he moved to England where he performed with various companies including the Old Vic Company. He served with the Canadian Army during World War II. After the...
as Golgotha Gingham.
See also
- Arcadian Adventures with the Idle RichArcadian Adventures with the Idle RichArcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich is a work of humorous fiction by Stephen Leacock first published in 1914. It is the follow-up to his 1912 classic Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town...
(1914), widely viewed as the companion to Sunshine Sketches