The New Yorker Magazine - August 19, 2024

In this issue

THE TALK OF THE TOWN
Emma Allen on why we should hope for humor; Robin Williams; Joan Rivers; rabbi jokes; what Girl Scouts leave behind; Buster Keaton.

PERSONAL HISTORY
Dead Man Laughing - Zadie Smith
A father’s sense of humor.

What's So Funny?- A scientific attempt to discover why we laugh.

A scientific attempt to discover why we laugh. How the brain processes humor remains a mystery. It’s easy to make someone smile or cry by electronically stimulating a single region of the brain, but it’s astonishingly difficult to make someone laugh. The “laughter circuit” is complex and various. Puns are processed on the left side of the brain by gyri, bumpy areas on the surface of the cerebral cortex; more complex, non-wordplay jokes are routed through gyri on the right side of the brain and also trigger electronic activity in many other parts of the brain.

10+ mins

Love Trouble Is My Business- “President Reagan resembled a bashful cowboy the other day when he was asked about the apparent collapse of the ‘Star Wars' talks with the Soviet Union. . . .

Francis X. Clines, in the Sunday Times . . . : “President Reagan resembled a bashful cowboy the other day when he was asked about the apparent collapse of the ‘Star Wars’ talks with the Soviet Union. . . .

3 mins

DEAD MAN LAUGHING

Jokes run through a family.

10+ mins

CORRECTIONS

Because of an editing error, an article in Friday’s theatre section transposed the identifications of two people involved in the production of “Waiting for Bruce,” a farce now in rehearsal at the Rivoli. Ralph W. Murtaugh, Jr., a New York attorney, is one of the play’s financial backers.

3 mins

PRYOR LOVE

The life and times of America's comic prophet of race.

10+ mins

LGA-ORD

Then, Beckett decided to become a commercial pilot. . . . “I think the next little bit of excitement is flying,” he wrote to McGreevy.

2 mins

CHABLIS Donald Barthelm

My wife wants a dog. She already has a baby. The baby’s almost two. My wife says that the baby wants the dog.

4 mins

A CRACK IN THE GREASEPAINT

How \"Saturday Night Live\" breaks the mold.

10+ mins

TALKING DIRTY

Chelsea Handler sexes up late night.

7 mins

BRAVO!

\"Funny Girl.\"

6 mins

Read all stories from The New Yorker

The New Yorker Magazine Description:

The New Yorker is a weekly magazine that features journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded in 1925 and is published by Condé Nast. The magazine is known for its in-depth reporting, its sharp and witty writing, and its iconic cartoons.

The New Yorker has a long and distinguished history. It has published some of the most important and influential writers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Dorothy Parker, E.B. White, John Updike, Philip Roth, and Susan Sontag. The magazine has also won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

The New Yorker is a must-read for anyone who wants to stay informed about current events and culture. It is also a great source of entertainment and thought-provoking essays.

Here are some of the things you can expect to find in The New Yorker Magazine:

*In-depth reporting on current events, politics, and culture
*Sharp and witty commentary on the news and the world around us
*Essays on a wide range of topics, from personal experiences to philosophical musings
*Fiction by some of the best writers in the world
*Satire and cartoons that poke fun at the powerful and the ridiculous

If you are looking for a magazine that is intelligent, informative, and entertaining, then The New Yorker is the magazine for you. It is a magazine that has something to offer everyone.