Nonsense Novels
by Stephen Leacock
On This Page
Description
In this collection of hilarious literary satires, Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock jaunts from genre to genre, gleefully skewering mysteries, ghost stories, detective novels, and virtually every other type of fiction you can think of. It's a light but surprisingly insightful look at the excesses of twentieth-century prose that will amuse and delight readers..
Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This collection of 10 literary pastiches made me laugh out loud a LOT. At least once per story I was at least snorting, if not outright shrieking with laughter. My favourite stories were the detective story parody and the sea story parody — they were so over the top, it was perfect. I did get unironically invested in the old homestead story too.
This might almost be even funnier than Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, although I’d have to read that again to be sure. At any rate, I would certainly recommend this for anyone who has a nodding acquaintance with the various genres of Victorian fiction. They may also be funny on their own, because they are so delightfully absurd.
This might almost be even funnier than Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, although I’d have to read that again to be sure. At any rate, I would certainly recommend this for anyone who has a nodding acquaintance with the various genres of Victorian fiction. They may also be funny on their own, because they are so delightfully absurd.
I think I first stumbled on the New York Review of Books website a couple of months ago. Don't know why I'd never heard of it before; I'm completely enthralled now. I've ordered books for my kids, and I ordered this one for myself.
This book of short stories was initially published in 1911. In it, Leacock takes satiric aim at genre fiction. He tackles the mystery, the romance, the high seas adventure, the simple midwestern farm tale, and several more. It's a quick read, and very funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will enjoy handing it to my kids after they've read some of the more classic books (Sherlock Holmes, Little House on the Prairie, Horatio Hornblower, etc.).
This book of short stories was initially published in 1911. In it, Leacock takes satiric aim at genre fiction. He tackles the mystery, the romance, the high seas adventure, the simple midwestern farm tale, and several more. It's a quick read, and very funny. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will enjoy handing it to my kids after they've read some of the more classic books (Sherlock Holmes, Little House on the Prairie, Horatio Hornblower, etc.).
Leacock was one of Groucho Marx's favorite humor writers
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
142+ Works 3,136 Members
Born in Swanmore, England, Stephen Leacock was one of 11 children of an unsuccessful farmer and an ambitious mother, a woman to whom Leacock no doubt owed his energetic and status-conscious nature. In 1891, while teaching at the prestigious Upper Canada College in Toronto, Leacock obtained a modern language degree from the University of Toronto. show more In 1903, after receiving a Ph.D. in political economy from the University of Chicago, he joined the staff of McGill University, Montreal, as professor of politics and economics. Leacock's career as a humorist began when he had some comic pieces published as Literary Lapses in 1910. This successful book was followed by two more books of comic sketches, Nonsense Novels (1911) and Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (1912), which is now considered his best book. Leacock continued this frantic literary output for the remainder of his career, producing more than 30 books of humor as well as biographies and social commentaries. The Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour was established after his death to honor annually an outstanding Canadian humorist. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1900
- Blurbers
- Davies, Robertson
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 218
- Popularity
- 149,178
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.94)
- Languages
- English, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 42
- ASINs
- 16
