あらすじ
Admirers of the "Nonsense novels" and "Literary lapses" will await with interest any nonprofessional book by Prof. Leacock of the economics department of McGill university. Seventeen witty articles, some of which previously appeared in Life, Vanity Fair, The Century, and other magazines, here constitute "Moonbeams from the larger lunacy." Spoof: A sample of a thousand-guinea novel, The reading public, Our literary bureau satirize a certain type of writer and of reader. Speeding up business and Education made agreeable humorously emphasize familiar over-tendencies; nine Afternoon adventures at my club cause us to smile over as many types of club bores, and other articles tend to make us moralize over our own as well as others failings.*****Mr. Leacock's humor in many ways of his skits is hearty, not subtle. As a parodist he hits with mighty blows -- not the delicate strokes of Max Beerbohm. --The Independent"More admirable fooling upon a very great variety of subjects. Mr. Leacock's is a mind bubbling over with whimsical ideas. The quality of his fun is distinctive. It is based on the English method, does not always escape facetiousness, but is, on the whole, lighter and more limber than the Punch standard. In fact, it has much of the spontaneous extravagance which is supposed to belong on this side of the water and this side of the border." --The Nation "In many ways Mr. Leacock reminds us closely of the immortal Artemus Ward in his mixture of satre, absurdity, and shrewdness; in his burlesques of conventional fiction; and in his peculiar humour." --The Spectator"Prof. Leacock has become as much as anybody the court jester of the day, and like all good court jesters from the time of King Lear, he encloses much wisdom in his folly. --Springfield Republican



