Kurt Vonnegut s Crusade; or, How a Postmodern Harlequin Preached a New Kind of Humanism

178 pages

English

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State University of New York Press - Todd F. Davis

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178 pages

English

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"I've worried some about why write books when presidents and senators and generals do not read them, and the university experience taught me a very good reason: you catch people before they become generals and senators and presidents, and you poison their minds with humanity. Encourage them to make a better world." — Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut's desire to save the planet from environmental and military destruction, to enact change by telling stories that both critique and embrace humanity, sets him apart from many of the postmodern authors who rose to prominence during the 1960s and 1970s. This new look at Vonnegut's oeuvre examines his insistence that writing is an "act of good citizenship or an attempt, at any rate, to be a good citizen." By exploring the moral and philosophical underpinnings of Vonnegut's work, Todd F. Davis demonstrates that, over the course of his long career, Vonnegut has created a new kind of humanism that not only bridges the modern and postmodern, but also offers hope for the power and possibilities of story. Davis highlights the ways Vonnegut deconstructs and demystifies the "grand narratives" of American culture while offering provisional narratives—petites histoires—that may serve as tools for daily living.
Acknowledgments

1. Postmodern (Midwestern) Morality: The Act of Affirming Humanity in a Screwed-up World

2. Searching for Answers in the Early Novels: Or, What Are We Here for Anyway?

3. Apocalyptic Grumbling: Postmodern Righteousness in the Late Novels

Notes
Works Cited
Index

Sujets

Fantasy (canción de Mariah Carey)

USA

United States of America

Literary theory

Science fiction

États-Unis

Fantasy

Informations

Publié par	State University of New York Press
Date de parution	01 février 2012
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780791482131
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,1598€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Kurt Vonnegut’s Crusade Or, How a Postmodern Harlequin Preached a New Kind of Humanism

TODD F. DAVIS

State University of New York Press

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, 194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2384

Production by Marilyn P. Semerad Marketing by Anne M. Valentine

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Davis, Todd F., 1965– Kurt Vonnegut’s crusade; or, How a postmodern harlequin preached a new kind of humanism / Todd F. Davis. p. cm. — (SUNY series in postmodern culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6675-2 (alk. paper) 1. Vonnegut, Kurt—Criticism and interpretation. 2. Science fiction, American—History and criticism. 3. Postmodernism (Literature)— United States. 4. Humanism in literature. I. Title: Kurt Vonnegut’s crusade. II. Title: How a postmodern harlequin preached a new kind of humanism. III. Title. IV. Series.

PS3572.O5Z65 2006 813'.54—dc22

ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6675-9 (hardcopy : alk. paper)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2005008724

For Kenneth Womack and James Mellard, who still believe stories might change the way we live.

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Contents

Acknowledgments/ ix

Chapter One Postmodern (Midwestern) Morality: The Act of Affirming Humanity in a Screwed-up World / 1

Chapter Two Searching for Answers in the Early Novels: Or, What Are We Here for Anyway? / 37

Chapter Three Apocalyptic Grumbling: Postmodern Righteousness in the Late Novels / 83

Notes/ 139

Works Cited/ 155

Index/ 163

vii

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Acknowledgments

I owe special debts of gratitude to the many friends and colleagues who helped make this volume possible. I am particularly grateful for the encouragement and advice of David Anderson, Ervin Beck, Beth Martin Birky, Harold and Joyce Davis, Shelly, Noah, and Nathan Davis, James Decker, Keith and Tammy Fynaardt, Jim Gorman, Ann Hostetler, Jerome Klinkowitz, Don and Melinda Lanham, David and Vicki Malone, James Mellard, Glenn Meeter, Dinty Moore, Ray and Laurie Peterson, Mary Sue Schriber, Ned Watts, and Kenneth Womack. A special thanks to Kurt Vonnegut for his kindness, his humor, and for the illustration that graces this book’s cover and title pages. An additional note of thanks to Joe Petro of Origami Express and the www.vonnegut.com <http://www. vonnegut.com/> website.