Stephen Leasock’s “Arcadian Adventures With The Idle Rich”: Satire Essay, Research Paper

Stephen Leasock’s “Arcadian Adventures With the Idle Rich”: Satire

Jonathan Swift has suggested that “Satire is a sort of Glass, wherein

Beholders do generally discover every body’s Face their own; which is the chief

reason…that so few are offended with it.” Richard Garnett suggests that,

“Without humour, satire is invictive; without literary form, [and] it is mere

clownish jeering.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica 14th ed. vol. 20 p. 5). Whereas

Swift’s statement suggests that people are not offended by satire because

readers identify the character’s faults with their own faults; Garnett suggests

that humour is the key element that does not make satire offensive. With any

satire someone is bound to be offended, but the technique the author uses can

change something offensive into something embarrassing.

Stephen Leacock’s Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich is a

nonthreatening, humorous, and revealing satire of the moral faults of upper

class society. The satire acts as a moral instrument to expose the effect money

can have on religion, government, and anything within its touch. Writing about

such topics is hard to do without offending people. Leacock’s technique combines

money with humour, and accompanies his moral message with ironic characters;

their exaggerated actions, and a constant comical tone to prevent readers from

being offended.

Leacock’s utopian world is filled with humorous labels that represent the

“Plutonian’s” personalities. “Ourselves Monthly”; a magazine for the modern

self-centered, is a Plutonian favourite. To fill their idle days, the Plutonian

women are in an endless search for trends in literature and religion. Without

the distractions of club luncheons and trying to achieve the “Higher

Indifference”, the women would have to do something productive. Readers that

identify themselves with the class of people the Plutonians represent would be

embarrassed rather than offended by Leacock’s satirical portrayal of them.

“The Yahi-Bahi Oriental Society” exaggerates the stupidity of the

Plutonians to a point where the reader laughs at the character’s misfortunes.

The con men give ridiculous prophecies such as “Many things are yet to happen

before others begin.” (Leacock 87), and eventually take their money and jewelry.

The exaggeration increases the humour while the moral message is displayed.

The characters of the novel are ironic in the sence that they percieve

themselves as being the pinicle of society, yet Leacock makes the look like

fools. For someone who prides themself on being an expert on just about

everything, Mr. Lucullus Fyshe’s (as slimmy and cold as his name represents)

perceptions are proven false. Mr. Fyshe makes hypocratic statments about ruling

class tyranny, while barking down the neck of a poor waiter for serving cold

asparagus.

Leacock exposes the whole Plutonian buisness world to be fools by the their

encounter with Mr. Tomlinson. A man who knows live-stock; not stock market, is

percieved as a finacial genius. When Mr. Tomlinson replies that he does know

about an investment, the Plutonian reaction is:

“He said he didn’t Know!” repeated the listener, in a

tone of amazement and respect. “By Jove! eh? he said

he didn’t know! The man’s a wizard!”

“And he looked as if he didn’t!” went on Mr. Fyshe.

(Leacock 47)

After Mr. Tomlinson is discovered to be a plain farmer, and his fortune falls,

the Plutorians are seen eating their words:

“Now , ‘I said , for I wanted to test the fellow, `tell

me what that means?’ Would you believe me, he looked

me right in the face in that stupid way of his, and he

said, `I don’t know!’”

“He said he didn’t know!” repeated the listener

contemptuously; “the man is a fool!” (leacock 66)

On Plutoria avenue money makes the man and the fool.

Worth and expense are important for the inhabitants of Plutoria avenue.

Even the birds are “the most expensive kind of birds” (Leacock 7). The innocents,

Mr. Tomlinson and his family, show that for Plutorians personal worth is based

on the amount of money an individual has. The media builds up Mr. Tomlinson to

be a financial genius, because of his great amount of money and his mysterious

look. His “look” is a confused man caught in a world of which he has no

understanding, but the money makes him the “Great dominating character of the

newest and highest finance.” (Leacock 36). Mr. Tomlinson’s wife is described by

the media as setting new trends, and shaking the fashion world. She could have

worn a garbage bag in public, and probably received the same review. Leacock

exaggerates the obsession of money to a humorous point that not even religion is

spared.

Religion is a social event and business opportunity for Plutonians. Rather

than spiritual worth, St. Asaph and St. Osoph churches are humorously described

by mortgages, dollars per square feet, and Bible give away debits. Priests work

for the church that offers them the most money, and has the best social life. It

would not be surprising if the two churches sold indulgences.

In the real world corruption of the church would be offensive to allot of

people, but when desguised in humour Leacock shields the readers from personal

offence.

Leacock touches on the controvesal topic of updating church doctrine by

creating a humorous misunderstanding between Rev. Furlong and his father:

“Now we,” he went on, “I mean the Hymnal Supply

Corporation, have an idea for bringing out an entirely new

Bible.” /

“A new Bible!” he gasped.

“Precisely!” said his father, “a new Bible! This one -

and we find it every day in our business – is all

wrong.”

“All wrong!” said the rector with horror on his face. /

“For the market of to-day this Bible” – and he poised

it again on his hand, as to test its weight, “is too

heavy. The people of to-day want something lighter,

something easier to get hold of.” (Leacock 149).

The humorous exchange is not offensive, yet maintains its moral undertone.

Satire’s primary use is to expose. If no one was offended or embarrassed

by it then the work and the humour is an end in itself.

Works Cited

Garnett, Richard. Encyclopedia Brtannica, 14th ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia

Britannica, Inc., 1959.

Leacock, Stephen. Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich. Toronto: McClelland

and Stewart Limited, 1989.

Works Consulted

Allen and Stephens. Satire, Theory and Practice. ed. Allen and Stephens. Belmont,

California: Wadsworth Publishing Company,Inc., 1962.