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Explore the influence of World War II on the postmodern literary period, with focus on Kurt Vonnegut's seminal work "Slaughterhouse-Five" and his life as a veteran and writer. Analyze characteristics of postmodern literature and Vonnegut's unique style.
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Postmodernism Literature produced from mid-20th century to present time Influenced by World War II, so most scholars consider WWII as the starting point for the literary period Not actually studied as a form until the mid- 1980s. Suggests that the world is chaotic and that there are no universal truths.
Characteristics of Postmodern Lit • Fragmentation: interrupted sequence of events, character development and action. Frequently the story is not in the typical linear sequence or chronological order.
Characteristics of Postmodern Lit Temporal Distortion Time may also overlap, repeat, or there may seem to be multiple possibilities.
Characteristics of Postmodern Lit Black Humor Writing that juxtaposes morbid & ghastly elements with comical one to underscore the senselessness or futility of life.
Characteristics Metafiction is writing about writing making the artificiality of art of fiction apparent to the reader. It is often employed: • to undermine the authority of the author • for unexpected narrative shifts • to advance a story in a unique way • for emotional distance • to comment on the act of storytelling.
Characteristics • Unreliable narrator cannot always be trusted to tell the truth. • The use of improper grammar to reflect dialect • More sexuality • More use of first-person narrative to reflect the lack of universal truth and to reinforce individual truths • Often has more meaning to it than just where the story takes place; sometimes there is no clear setting at all.
Kurt VonnegutBorn: 1922, Indianapolis, IndianaDied: 2007, ManhattanWork: 14 novels, 3 short story collections, 5 plays, 5 works of non-fiction
WAR At 20, he entered the army during World War II and was shipped off to Europe, where he almost immediately was captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge, and he was sent to Dresden, Germany.
The Bombing of Dresden, Germany • On February 13, 1945, Allied bombers destroyed the city by dropping high explosives & incendiary bombs. • The firestorm turned the non-militarized city into an inferno killing up to 60,000 civilians. • Vonnegut and his fellow POWs survived by accident because they were housed some 60 feet underground in a former meat slaughterhouse.
Dresden, Germany • After the bombing, Vonnegut’s job was to gather up and burn the remains of the dead. This experience marked him for life and eventually resulted in his literary masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five. • Vonnegut remarked, "There were too many corpses to bury. So instead the Germans sent in troops with flamethrowers. All these civilians' remains were burned to ashes.”
Slaughterhouse-Five • Published in 1969 • Sixth Novel • Subtitled: The Children’s Crusade or A Duty-Dance with Death • Semiautobiographical about Vonnegut’s time in WWII • Darkly satiric, comic voice made his audience laugh despite the horrors he described.
Later Life • In the’80s and ’90s, Vonnegut was a spokesman for the preservation of our Constitutional freedoms, nuclear arms control, and for the protection of the environment. • After 9/11/2001, Vonnegut decried the militarization of our county.
In the End Kurt Vonnegut died on April 11, 2007, after a fall on the steps of his New York brownstone. He was mourned the world over as one of the great American writers of the second half of the 20th century.
