The Salterton Trilogy Series by Robertson Davies

The Salterton Trilogy consists of the first three novels by Davies: Tempest-Tost (1951), Leaven of Malice (1954), and A Mixture of Frailties (1958). Davies was awarded the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour in 1955 for Leaven of Malice.The trilogy revolves around the residents of the imaginary town of Salterton, Ontario. Described by some reviewers as satirical, bawdily humourous, and witty.

An amateur production of The Tempest provides a colourful backdrop for an hilarious look at unrequited love. Mathematics teacher Hector Mackilwraith, stirred and troubled by Shakespeare's play, falls in love with the beautiful Griselda Webster. When Griselda shows that she has plans of her own, Hector despairs and tries to commit suicide on the play's opening night.

A false engagement announcement, printed in the Salterton Evening Bellman and heralding the impending marriage of a university instructor and a professor's daughter, sets off a chain of misadventures and misunderstandings