Definition
Don Marquis (1878-1937) was an American humorist, journalist, and author. He is best known for his characters archy and mehitabel, a cockroach and a cat, respectively. Archy, the cockroach, types stories by jumping on typewriter keys since he can't reach the shift key, resulting in lowercase prose. Marquis's work often satirized social issues and human nature. His writing was witty, insightful, and often poignant. Think of him as the comic voice of his era, using animal characters to reflect human foibles.