In a generally thin time for fiction one of the most refreshing recent developments has been a vigorous new growth of satiric talent. It comes from a promising, if often provoking new group of U.S.

In the 1940s, long before the unlovely abbreviations LOL and ROTFL became standard usage, the great film critic James Agee broke the four main kinds of laughter inspired by silent-film comedians into ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...

Funny Business Mass e-mails. Telemarketers. People who call the Hamptons ""the country."" Muggers, allergies, teenagers and things that stick to the soles of your shoes. In 101 Damnations: The ...