Joseph Heller's novels, particularly from the 1960s onwards, represent a significant shift from the realist tradition in American literature. The era saw novelists like Heller, Thomas Pynchon, and John Barth challenging the conventions of realism, opting instead for styles that highlighted the imaginative nature of fiction itself. This movement led to the creation of "black humor," "fabulation," and later "metafiction" or "absurdist" fiction, emphasizing the absurdity both of the fictional worlds created and the real world they reflected.

The Shift from Realism

Prior to the 1960s, American fiction was deeply embedded in realism, with authors like Norman Mailer and Saul Bellow focusing on accurate depictions of everyday life. This approach was often rooted in the World War II experiences of these writers, who used conventional narrative structures to create relatable characters defined by their ordinariness. However, by the 1960s, a new wave of writers sought to break free from these constraints. These authors argued that fiction should acknowledge its artifice, creating imaginary worlds that offered commentary on reality, rather than attempting to mimic it.

The evolution of these new modes of writing spawned terms like "black humor," which conveyed the blend of violent or tragic events with comedic elements. This evolved into "fabulation," a term suggesting a move towards creating fables rather than realistic narratives. These stories often defied conventional structures, featuring improbable and humorous character names, as seen in the works of Gilbert Sorrentino and the likes of Pynchon and Heller. Characters like Major Major Major or Chief White Halfoat from Heller's Catch-22 exemplify this trend, emphasizing the whimsical yet critical lens through which these authors viewed the world.

Heller's Contribution with Catch-22

Published in 1961, Catch-22 became an instant success among young readers, despite mixed reviews from critics. The novel's structure defied traditional plots, presenting its story through chapters named after characters rather than following a linear sequence. The novel's setting on the fictional island of Pianola during World War II served as a microcosm of the absurdity of war and the illogical bureaucracies governing the lives of the airmen stationed there.

Yossarian, the protagonist, was emblematic of Heller's absurdist perspective. His antics, such as sitting naked in a tree during a funeral, were not merely acts of madness but survival strategies in a world where conventional sanity was its own form of insanity. The notorious "Catch-22" was a bureaucratic rule that trapped the soldiers in a cycle of absurdity and danger, mirroring the arbitrary and often cruel nature of authority.

The novel's humor and dark themes paved the way for future war novels, influencing how later authors approached the subject. Heller's portrayal of war as a comedic tragedy set a precedent, showing that even the gravest situations could be viewed through a lens of irony and absurdity.

Exploring the Ordinary: Something Happened

In stark contrast to Catch-22, Heller's Something Happened (1974) delved into the mundane struggles of an American businessman, Bob Slocum, revealing the absurdity within everyday life. The novel's narrative structure was dominated by Slocum's internal monologue, a relentless stream of consciousness that revealed his fears, desires, and regrets.

Although Slocum's life appeared successful on the surface, his monologues exposed the dissatisfaction and disillusionment underlying his existence. He grappled with his role as a father and husband, his office politics, and his extramarital affairs, all the while haunted by a deep-seated fear of his own failures. Heller crafted a complex character in Slocum, one that evoked both sympathy and disdain from readers.

Unlike the energetic humor of Catch-22, Something Happened was a slow, introspective exploration of middle-class life, characterized by a pervasive sense of...