This monograph examines the satirical short stories of famous American writers Robert Benchley and James Thurber. The first chapter " Theory and National Specificity of the American Satirical Novel ", is devoted to the study of humour and satire theory in modern literature, the characteristics of comic genres of American literature, as well as the formation and development of the satirical short story in American literature. The second chapter of the study "Robert Benchley's Comic Novels: Specificity of the Genre", is devoted to the analysis of the work of Robert Benchley, one of the most mature comedians and satirists of America of the first half of the twentieth century. The third chapter of the book "Artistic Specificity of Satire and Humour by James Thurber" is devoted to the study of the influence of American humourists and satirists on the development of humour and satirical novels in American literature. The results of the study can be applied in lectures and seminars for bachelors of philology departments in special courses on the history of American literature.