'The Ship of State': Decoding the satire of Fuller's H.M.S. Parliament

Abstract

William Henry Fuller’s H.M.S. Parliament, or the Lady Who Loved a Government Clerk, is a Canadian political satire from the 1880s that criticizes the corruption of John A. MacDonald's second government by casting him as the captain on an ersatz version of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore. The popularity of this early Canadian play reveals that its topical satire resonated with its audience. By linking historical figures with their caricatures in H.M.S. Parliament, this research will illuminate Canadian perspectives on politicians and political movements in the late nineteenth century, with special attention given to how the strong links between British and Early Canadian identity play out in the operetta’s artistic form and criticism of the Conservative Government’s National Policy.