SOURCE: McGraw, Erin. “Man Walks into a Bar.” Georgia Review 53, no. 4 (winter 1999): 775-78.

In the following excerpt, McGraw discusses the use of humor in contemporary American fiction and offers a positive review of Birds of America.

A young comic says to his friend, “Ask me what's the most important thing about comedy.”

“What's the most—”

“Timing!”

An old joke. But like most old jokes, this one has a bit of truth at the core: Comedy does rely on timing, and generally the most effective timing is quick. The successful comedian turns logical and perceptual corners a step ahead of the audience, and often we laugh at jokes not just because we're amused but because we're surprised. In this way comedy is able to deal with subjects that threaten us—most often and famously sex and death—by catching us with our guard down. A joke teller inverts our...