Kurt Vonnegut

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Kurt Vonnegut's novels such as "Cat's Cradle" and "Slaughterhouse Five" have a reputation both as great literary classics and great works of underground fiction. It looks at how "Slaughterhouse Five" is his most famous novel and also regarded his most personal, as it was based on his experiences as a prisoner of war in Germany during the Allied firebombing of Dresden in 1945. It also discusses how Vonnegut is credited with helping to elevate the genre of science fiction, once considered a staple of pulp magazine racks, to that of high art and how "Cat's Cradle" tells the tale of scientists trying to create 'ice-nine,' a crystal that could turn all water solid and thus destroy all life on earth.

From the Paper:

"Vonnegut is credited with helping to elevate the genre of science fiction, once considered a staple of pulp magazine racks, to that of high art. Cat's Cradle tells the tale of scientists trying to create 'ice-nine,' a crystal that could turn all water solid and thus destroy all life on the earth. In 1963, Cat's Cradle slowly developed a readership as Cold War Americans were increasingly receptive to a book that showed the dangerous potential of science and technology to develop faster than ethics and morality ("Novelist Kurt Vonnegut dies at 84," CNN.com, 2007, p.1) The novel, takes its title from an Eskimo game in which children try to snare the sun with string (Smith, 2007, p.1). Although its first printing sold only 500 copies, it has become a staple of English classes all over America today (Smith, 2007, p.1)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Inskeep, Steve, Renee Montagne & Neda Ulaby. "Novelist Vonnegut Remembered for His Black Humor." NPR.com. 12 Apr 2007. 9 May 2007. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9533587
• Smith, Dinita. "Kurt Vonnegut, Writer of Classics of the American Counterculture, Dies at 84." The New York Times. 2007. 11 Apr 2007. 9 May 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/books/11cnd-vonnegut.html?ei=5070&en=db6388ba6f8a0e08&ex=1178856000&pagewanted=all
• "Novelist Kurt Vonnegut dies at 84." CNN.com. Published by the Associated Press. 12 Apr 2007. 9 May 2007. http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/books/04/12/obit.vonnegut.ap/

More papers on Kurt Vonnegut:

• Term Paper # 124730 : "The Life of Kurt Vonnegut"
• Analytical Essay # 146291 : "Themes in Kurt Vonnegut's Work"
• Analytical Essay # 7262 : "Kurt Vonnegut"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: