There are a lot of reasons why something is funny. It’s hard for everyone to agree on those reasons. And it’s virtually impossible to agree on whether something is actually funny or not in the first place. But one thing is incontrovertible: the more you unpick, analyse and dissect comedy, the less funny it becomes. So what is left behind after that?
Into this tricky arena – cue tapping on microphone and feedback noise – steps this experimental and sometimes infuriating novel. The Material is, to its credit, fluid, inventive and often, yes, funny. But it’s also confusing and challenging in ways that don’t always feel intentional. It describes a day in the world of the University of Chicago’s (fictional) Stand-Up MFA programme, a graduate course being taken by students like Artie (‘too handsome to be funny’) and Olivia (neurotic-in-denial).
The well-intentioned young people are good company and often amusing.
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