The narrative frames in Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town provide a deep sense of meaning to the story cycle. Leacock's preface presents the reader with a simplified version of his life story, in which we can see many parallels to the lives of the Mariposans, thus making the stories seem more realistic. Likewise, the final story, “L'Envoi: The Train to Mariposa,” makes the Mariposans' ways of life seem more authentic by instilling a genuine sense of nostalgia in the reader. Without these opening and closing anecdotes, the reader might still appreciate Leacock's clever use of irony and satire, but it would be impossible for them to come away from the story cycle with the same sense of identification with the small town. The use of satire in the preface and romantic nostalgia in “L'Envoi” create a tension that makes an important statement about the small town as part of Canadian identity; for better or worse, the small town is a symbol of Canadian life, and for all its craziness, we still long for its familiarity and endearing qualities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Stephen Leacock's foreword mirrors the entire cycle of stories in both narrative tone and content. Throughout the telling of his life story, Leacock often uses both irony and satire to make a sort of social commentary on the events he is describing. For example, when talking about his education, Leacock tells the reader that he attended the University of Toronto and graduated. However, he also notes that “very soon after graduation I had forgotten languages ​​and found myself intellectually bankrupt. In other words I was what is called a distinguished graduate” (Leacock, 3 – 4). Later in the preface we are told that, as a teacher, Leacock found that of all his students: “Those who seemed the laziest and least in love with books are now achieving eminence at the bar, in business, and in public life.” ; the truly promising boys who have won all the prizes can now hardly earn the wages of a clerk in a summer hotel or a sailor on a canal boat” (Leacock, 4). It's clear that the author is making a statement about the value we place on school education, but he never actually comes out and says that doing well in school isn't all that important in the grand scheme of things. To reflect the lessons Leacock has learned throughout his life, we are introduced to the character of Josh Smith. In the town of Mariposa, Mr. Smith is something of a business magnate and is held in high regard among the members of his society. One would expect this type of man to have a plethora of credentials attributed to his success, but the reader soon learns that Josh Smith can't even read, let alone have received a thorough education. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Mr. Smith is a very important part of Mariposan society. He finds solutions to many of the city's problems even when some of the more educated men can't seem to find the answers. By introducing us to his experiences in education and then inserting a character like Josh Smith into the story, the reader is given a reason to believe what Leacock has to say, because they see the story told through this fictional character. Essentially the author tells us how things are and then shows us how this can be true through the character he created. The tone of Leacock's preface is also similar to that of the narrative of the story cycle and thecitizens' attitudes. Like the people of Mariposa, Leacock gives himself an exaggerated sense of importance. “I am not aware that there was any particular conjunction of the planets at the time [of my birth], but I should think it extremely probable” (Leacock, 3). Both the author and the fictional characters talk about themselves in a way that shows that they believe they are great people, but at the same time they do not seem arrogant. Instead, declaring their exceptional qualities simply means stating a fact and not necessarily throwing it in the face of those who do not make comparisons. As a result, Leacock tells his own life story in much the same way as the nameless, omniscient narrator who tells the stories of the people of Mariposa. He makes fun of his own flaws while maintaining a kind of pride in his work. The passage in which Leacock lists his accomplishments – “These things, surely, are evidence of respectability” (Leacock, 5) – has much the same ironic tone as the passage at the end of the story of “The Beacon on the Hill” in which the narrator wonders if the people of the town had ever thought of such a wonderfully simple idea as burning down a church to collect insurance money and clear all their debts. (Leacock, 81) By telling us his story and then presenting us with several tales that share similarities with events in his life, Leacock makes Sunshine Sketches seem more plausible by allowing us to compare it to the life of a real small-town man. Furthermore, by using the same narrative tone to tell his story and those of his characters, Leacock creates a connection between himself and the anonymous narrator of the narrative cycle, thus enabling us to relate reality to fiction. Each of these techniques makes us more open to believing the messages contained in this collection of stories. While the preface of Sunshine Sketches adds realism to the stories by giving fictional situations a real-life counterpart, the final story of the collection does this by evoking feelings in the reader. “L’Envoi: The Train to Mariposa” is narrated by a person who moved from the small town and became a resident of the city. One could easily imagine Leacock or any of the characters in the sketches telling this story returning to their hometown after leaving it for many years. The tone is no longer ironic or satirical, but instead focuses on making readers feel nostalgic for city life by reminding them of all the things that Mariposa, or any city like it, can provide that the city cannot. For example, when the traveler approaches his destination in a small town, there is a glorification of the little things that he did not notice while still in the city. “But wait a little, and you will see that when the city is well behind you, little by little the train will change character” (Leacock, 138). The narrator goes on to describe the soft red cushions on the seats and the ancient wooden engine that has replaced the electric motor now that he has boarded the train that will take him to his final destination. There is a certain comfort in these things, and they incite the old Mariposa attitude in the narrator as he begins to talk about the beautiful landscape and grandeur of all that exists in Mariposa. “Ask your neighbor at the table if the partridge they sometimes serve you here can be compared for a moment to the birds he and you, or she and someone else, hunted as boys in the spruces along the lake. Ask him if he ever tasted a duck that could for a moment be compared to the black ducks in the rice swamp along the Ossawippi” (Leacock, 137). In the city, things like the wood-burning engine would have been looked down upon as obsolete. However, in the city, they are revered because they bring back memories of childhood and older timessimple. Everything is romanticized once the narrator returns home; everything seems to taste, smell, or look better in Mariposa because of the pride the citizens feel in everything they have produced. “L’Envoi” creates this same sense of pride and appreciation for the small town in the reader. This final tale forces the reader to distance themselves from the tales they have just been immersed in. In doing so, the closing narration reminds the reader that they are now leaving the fictional town and all its bizarre and endearing ways. The story is written in a way that reminds the reader that the city was never really "real" in the true sense of the word, but actually manages to make them feel like they have moved away from this city and its simple way of life. life. By creating this distance and then bringing them back to the place at the end of the story, Leacock creates a nostalgic feeling in the reader, making them feel more fond of the city they once laughed at. Therefore, “L’Envoi” manages to bring the stories to a more realistic level because it makes the reader feel like they could have been a part of the city of Mariposa. It's clear that Leacock manages to create a story that is both entertaining and relatable. However, Leacock uses two contrasting modes in his opening and closing narratives. A certain tension is created in the reader because Leacock has highlighted the negative aspects of the small town lifestyle through his use of irony and satire, but he also makes the reader feel nostalgic for this life. Therefore, we are forced to reflect on the small town and what it means to us as Canadian citizens. Leacock's entire series of short stories, from the preface to the final Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town story, brings our attention to the innocence and corruption of very small towns. It is only here that a successful city leader and businessman could get away with illiteracy. It is only in a small town that a justice system can be so distorted as to allow a church to be burned to collect insurance money to pay off a debt. And it is only in a city so small and far from the rest of the world that investigators could be so inexperienced as to be unable to solve a completely explainable "banking mystery". However, despite all these silly and often unbelievable incidents, the city of Mariposa offers a certain safety, camaraderie and familiarity that makes us want to return there and appreciate these wonderful feelings. This is why the story opens with lines telling the reader that whether he knows Mariposa or not, "is of no consequence, for if you know Canada, you probably know a dozen such towns well" (Leacock, 7) . The small town is a defining characteristic of Canadian identity because it is a place that makes us feel good. Taken individually, these opening and closing tales leave us with very different feelings about small-town societies. The preface makes us mock their way of life, while “L'Envoi” makes us regret its simplicity. Yet together, Leacock assures us that cities like Mariposa cannot offer us an accurate sense of what the "real" world is like, but they provide us with a way to escape that world and return to nature. The city offers us knowledge and progress in life, while the city offers us a sense of community and allows us to relax and have fun. The train to Mariposa connects the city and the country and allows us to travel between both ways of life, thus keeping us connected to the cities that define our Canadian heritage but also ensuring we can return to the outside world whenever we wish. Leacock's preface and his final writing in Sunshine Sketches of a., 2006.