War in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five

by Claudia Durst Johnson (Editor)

Overview

Great literary works resonate with readers not only because of well-developed characters and plots, but also because they often reflect important social themes. The Social Issues in Literature series brings together the disciplines of sociology and literature in a unique format designed to support cross-curricular studies. Each volume explores a work of literature through the lens of the major social issue reflected in it, and features carefully-selected content representing a variety of perspectives. All volumes in the series contain biographical and critical information about the author; secondary excerpts offering both historical and contemporary views of the highlighted social issue; a timeline of the author's life; a "For Further Reading" section of other works on the issue; and a detailed subject index.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780737758184
Publisher:	Greenhaven Publishing LLC
Publication date:	07/30/2011
Series:	Social Issues in Literature Series
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	15 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

Chronology 12

Chapter 1 Background on Kurt Vonnegut

1 Vonnegut's Family and the Success of Slaughterhouse-Five Peter J. Reed 17

2 Vonnegut's Despair About War at the End of His Life Loree Rackstraw 27

3 Vonnegut on His Writing and Life Kurt Vonnegut, as told to John Casey Joe David Bellamy 34

Chapter 2 Slaughterhouse-Five and War

1 Facing the Cruelties of Civilization and Its Wars James Lundquist 42

2 Time Travel as a Brief Escape from War Memories William Rodney Allen 50

3 Billy's Time Travel Is Not Science Fictional but Psychological Arnold Edelstein 59

4 Kindness in the Face of Cruelty Rachel McCoppin 66

5 The Moral Problem of Billy's Fantasies Tony Tanner 73

6 A Nontraditional Way of Conveying Chaos Todd F. Davis 81

7 Vonnegut's Denunciation of Tralfamadore Robert Merrill Peter A. Scholl 89

8 Deromanticizing War Stanley Schatt 98

9 The War Novel: From Heroic Epic to Grim Reality T.J. Matheson 105

10 Why the Innocent Suffer Donald E. Morse 115

Chapter 3 Contemporary Perspectives on War

1 Uncovering Military Secrets About the Deaths of Iraqi Civilians Sarah Lazare Ryan Harvey 125

2 Two Wars: Physical and Psychological Stu Weber 135

3 Casualties of the Mind Heidi Vogt 141

4 Child Soldiers Michelle Steele 149

For Further Discussion 157

For Further Reading 158

Bibliography 159

Index 162