Simmons, D. (2010) "The war parts, anyway, are pretty much true": negotiating the reality of World War II in Slaughterhouse-Five and Catch-22. In: Mustazza, L. (ed.) Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut. California: Salem Press. pp. 64-79.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) and Catch-22 are both frequently referred to as “war” or “anti-war” novels. Both texts engage, often on a personal level, with the affects and after-effects of war on the individual. In this chapter I will argue that Lance Rubin’s proposal that a sense of incongruity “lies at the heart of American experience” (109) is of central importance to understanding the comparable satirical impulses behind both Vonnegut’s and Heller’s novels. The chapter will move beyond nihilistic readings of each text to argue for a rereading that situates the two author's works as suggesting humanist alternatives for dealing with the dehumanising experience of war. |
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PS American literature > PS700 Individual authors > PS3550 1961-2000 |
| Creators: | Simmons, David |
| Editors: | Mustazza, Leonard |
| Publisher: | Salem Press |
| Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: |
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Faculty of Education & Humanities > English and Creative Writing University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Centre > Centre for Critical and Creative Writing Faculties > Faculty of Education & Humanities > English and Creative Writing Research Centres > Centre for Critical and Creative Writing |
| Date: | 15 December 2010 |
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Page Range: | pp. 64-79 |
| Title of Book: | Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut |
| Series Name: | Critical insights |
| Place of Publication: | California |
| Number of Pages: | 368 |
| Language: | English |
| ISBN: | 9781587657214 |
| Status: | Published / Disseminated |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/4410 |
Actions (login required)
 |
Edit Item |
Altmetric
Altmetric
Altmetric