Final answer:
The sentence employs the literary technique of bathos, which creates humor through an anticlimactic ending, thereby gently satirising the concept of happiness in relationships.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sentence in question, "...happiness with a good man, a good woman, or a good pet canary," primarily uses the literary technique known as bathos. Bathos occurs when a writer lists several items that decrease in dignity or importance. In this case, the expectation established by the mention of a 'good man' and a 'good woman' is undercut by the anticlimactic addition of 'a good pet canary', which introduces a sense of humor. This literary device is effective because it surprises the reader and critiques the lofty notion of happiness in relationships by equating it with something as simple and trivial as owning a pet bird. The humor here stems from the incongruity and the deflation of what might otherwise be interpreted as a serious statement about human companionship. This subtle form of satire gently mocks the concept of what brings happiness to people. Therefore, the correct answer is D) Bathos - the sentence appears to be moving to a climax (from the tri-colon), but ends anticlimactically. By using the final example, the pet canary, Atwood satirises gently the whole issue of meaningful relationships.