The Wasp — 1881 — page 153: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page presents the opening chapters of a serialized novel titled "The Canadian" by Henry James, Jr. The narrative follows Percival Pencraft, a Boston businessman who has moved to a small Canadian village and encounters various local characters, including Hon. Octavius Snogglethorpe. The content is primarily literary fiction rather than political satire or cartooning. The dialogue satirizes American attitudes toward rural Canada—depicting Bostonians as culturally superior and somewhat condescending toward Canadian provincialism. References to "Yankee uncle," "old rye," and decorative arts suggest mockery of New England pretension meeting frontier simplicity. The page also includes unrelated sections on "Punning Verses" and "How to Dance the Racquette," indicating this is a typical miscellaneous magazine layout of the era.