ENG 104H Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Kurt Vonnegut, Henry David Thoreau, Pulp Magazine
Kurt Vonnegut - Post-Modern Satirist
Early Life
- Born in Indianapolis, 1922 (came of age in WW2)
- Felt ignorant and rootless after his parents cut German ties
- Anti German sentiment in WW1
- Deeply affected by losing their wealth in Prohibition/Depression
- High school: Played clarinet & edited school paper
Young Adult
- Majored in Biochemistry (laer anthropology) at Cornell
- Dropped out of school
- Enlisted in the army, trained in mechanical engineering
- Captured as a POW in Germany (6 months in Dresden)
- Dresden was bombed, 10 thousand people died, had to clean up and burn
bodies (was a formative experience for him)
- Grad school on the GI Bill (Anthropology)
Adulthood
- Jobs: publicist at GE, HS English teacher, Saab dealership
- Not much commercial success until Slaughterhouse V, 6th novel
- Six kids with his wife (3 were his nephew /niece)
- Pacifist, humanist, Christ-loving atheist socialist
- Interested in Christ as a human figure, not as a Savior
- Died in 2007, was writing until 10 years before
Literary Career
- The “Counter culture’s novelist” (NYT obituary)
- Influences: Science and pulp fiction, Mark Twain, George Orwell, Henry David Thoreau
(stylistic), Jonathan Swift
- Taught at U of Iowa’s workshop, Harvard, CUNY
- Known for dark humor, conversational style, complex subject matter
Vonnegut Themes
- Anti Authoritarianism
- War/peace
- Fate vs. Free Will
- Science Fiction
- Blurred lines of truth or fiction
- Unequal distribution of wealth
- Chosen/Replacement family
- Purpose of life
Document Summary
Born in indianapolis, 1922 (came of age in ww2) Felt ignorant and rootless after his parents cut german ties. Deeply affected by losing their wealth in prohibition/depression. High school: played clarinet & edited school paper. Majored in biochemistry (laer anthropology) at cornell. Enlisted in the army, trained in mechanical engineering. Captured as a pow in germany (6 months in dresden) Dresden was bombed, 10 thousand people died, had to clean up and burn bodies (was a formative experience for him) Grad school on the gi bill (anthropology) Jobs: publicist at ge, hs english teacher, saab dealership. Not much commercial success until slaughterhouse v, 6th novel. Six kids with his wife (3 were his nephew /niece) Interested in christ as a human figure, not as a savior. Died in 2007, was writing until 10 years before. Influences: science and pulp fiction, mark twain, george orwell, henry david thoreau (stylistic), jonathan swift. Taught at u of iowa"s workshop, harvard, cuny.
