Tag Archives: Kurt Vonnegut

On Homer and Rethinking My Father

The famous scene of Hector and Andromache has given me a new perspective on my father’s fatalism.

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Massacre Machinery & Slaughterhouse 5

Kurt Vonnegut, one who has seen the horrors of war, was a passionate opponent of guns in civilian hands.

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How Vonnegut Faced His Demons

Thursday To honor the 50th anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, I am reposting an essay about how Vonnegut used science fiction to come to terms with the Battle of the Bulge and the Dresden bombing, both of which he experienced first-hand. I owe the ideas to student Chris Hammond, who devoted his senior project […]

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Panicked by Trump? Turn to Lit

As Trump panic starts to set in, pundits are turning to literature to get an understanding of how it has all happened. This past week saw references to “Oedipus,” “Frankenstein,” “War and Peace,” and “Slaughterhouse Five.”

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Liberals Must Reclaim Harrison Bergeron

Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” has been adopted by the rightwing in their opposition to governmental regulations. It’s actually a fairly liberal story.

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Vonnegut’s Sci Fi Says the Unsayable

Yesterday I spent all day—from 9 am to 6 pm with occasional breaks—listening to our English majors present their senior projects. That I was energized rather than drained by the experience testifies to the strength of the talks. In today’s post I report on my student Chris Hammond’s essay on Kurt Vonnegut’s use of science […]

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Vonnegut’s Sci Fi, a Response to PTSD

Kurt Vonnegut’s science fiction can be seen as a way of coping with his PTSD.

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Poetry vs. Death’s Madness

In the face of death, poetry stands as a bulwark against dissolution, chaos, and madness.

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Women, You Don’t Have to Do It All

In a recent talk at St. Mary’s, author Elsa Walsh counseled young people to strive for “a good enough life.”

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