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.
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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:
Creators:
Simmons, D.
Editors:
Mustazza, L.
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
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
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