Kurt Vonnegut's crusade, or, How a postmodern harlequin preached a new kind of humanism
By: Todd F. Davis.
Series: SUNY series in postmodern culture
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Albany
Language: eng
Number of pages: 166
Subjects: Vonnegut, Kurt -- Criticism and interpretation.; Science fiction, American -- History and criticism.; Postmodernism (Literature) -- United States.; Humanism in literature.
Other titles: Kurt Vonnegut's crusade; How a postmodern harlequin preached a new kind of humanism
Description: "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."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Postmodern (Midwestern) morality : the act of affirming humanity in a screwed-up world; title: Searching for answers in the early novels, or, What are we here for anyway?; title: Apocalyptic grumbling : postmodern righteousness in the late novels.