ENG 382 - Early 20th Century Canadian Literature

4. Stephen Leacock was a master of literary humor. He employed many techniques to achieve his humorous and satirical effects, including, but not exclusively, irony, parody, hyperbole, and litotes. Discuss his use of these and other techniques in his works with a focus on the thematic effect. You may discuss the selections on the syllabus but you are encouraged to include other selections from Leacock’s works as well.

You will need to expand your search beyond the author's name and use multiple search tools. Make sure to retain the details in the suggested searches, which may include the term su: and some unusual punctuation like quotation marks.

Search the CUE Library catalogue and Library Databases with these search terms:

• “Stephen Leacock”
• “humor OR humour OR wit”
• “thematic effect”
• satir*
• irony OR sarcasm 
• hyperbole OR hype OR metaphor
• litotes OR distortion

ebooks:

• Stephen Leacock by Margaret MacMillan
• Leacock on Life by Stephen Leacock & Gerald Lynch
• Stephen Leacock, a Reappraisal by David Staines

Suggested databases to search:

• JSTOR
• Literature Resource Center
• MLA International Bibliography

Background Information:

• Stephen Leacock Bio by the National Library of Canada