$9.95
List price: 14.00
You save: $4.05
TRADE PAPER, USED
Ships in 1 to 3 days
| Qty | Store | Section |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beaverton | Literature- V |
| Hide store locations | ||
Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
|
|
|
About This Book
ISBN13: 9780385333849 |
Only 1 left in stock at $9.95!
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic "Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes 'unstuck in time' after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.
"Slaughterhouse-Five is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is also as important as any written since 1945. Like "Catch-22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. "Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it unique poignancy — and humor.
Review:
"Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. has written one of the major novels of the year....Haunting....Irresistible reading....Poignant and hilarious, threaded with compassion and, behind everything, the cataract of a thundering moral statement." Boston Globe
Review:
"Highly imaginative, nearly psychedelic....It is very tough and very funny; it is sad and delightful; it is very Vonnegut; and it works." The New York Times
Review:
"Splendid art and simplicity....Nerve-racking control....A funny book at which you are not permitted to laugh, a sad book without tears, a tale told in a slaughterhouse." Life magazine
Review:
"What I...applaud is the marvelous comic scenes with the British prisoners of war; the control in the war scenes; the understated bitterness with which he handles the American soldiers....When Vonnegut stops preaching and is funny, I take him very seriously." Daniel Stern, Washington Post Book World, 04/13/1969
Review:
"Serious critics have shown some reluctance to acknowledge that Vonnegut is among the best writers of his generation. He is, I suspect, both too funny and too intelligent for many, who confused muddled earnestness with profundity. Vonnegut is not confused. He sees all too clearly....Only Billy's time-warped perspective could do justice to the cosmic absurdity of his life, which is Vonnegut's life and our lives." Robert Scholes, New York Times Book Review, 04/06/1969
Synopsis:
Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centering on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.
Synopsis:
Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centering on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.
What Our Readers Are Saying
Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
-
wot.ermix, May 1, 2008 (view all comments by wot.ermix)
A UNIQUE SPIN ON ANTI-WAR NOVELS
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is a very poignant and powerful anti-war novel. In Vonnegut's characteristic style of terrific bluntness, the reader follows the story of Billy Pilgrim's life as he relives his memories and sees what the future will hold for him. The novel is intended to portray the horrors and atrocities of war, specifically using what Vonnegut saw in Dresden to showcase these ideas. As Vonnegut says about his book, "It is so short and jumbled and jangled... because there is nothing intelligent to say about a massacre. Everybody is supposed to be dead, to never say anything or want anything ever again" (18). Overall, the book is such that it keeps the reader immersed and unable to set it down. Through the novel's style and ideas, Vonnegut has accomplished his anti-war objectives.
Since Vonnegut himself says that Slaughterhouse Five is primarily an anti-war novel, the criteria for judging whether it is effective in its purpose is whether it fosters a similar sense of abhorrence to war, or at the very least an appreciation of the thought process behind that abhorrence. Vonnegut had been meaning to write an anti-war book for quite some time before this novel was published. He wanted to tell about the horrible things he had seen in the Firebombing of Dresden during World War II. In judging this book, one should not only examine Vonnegut's expressed ideas, but also the style and characterization used to communicate those ideas. A brief examination of the plot will provide insight into the themes explored within the novel.
The novel begins with Kurt Vonnegut as the narrator, talking about his life and also how he is writing an anti-war novel about the Fire Bombing of Dresden. After the first chapter, the main character in the rest of the book is Billy Pilgrim. It begins, "Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time... He has seen his birth and death many times, he says, and pays random visits to all the events in between" (22). Soon he discusses how "he had been kidnapped by a flying saucer in 1967" (24). The aliens that kidnapped him were from the planet Trafalmadore, and Billy often mentions in the book what he learned from them. From this point on, Billy's narration skips around between events of his life. Much of these bits of narration have to do with the time that Billy spent in World War II. These war experiences are what make Vonnegut's novel most effective.
Slaughterhouse Five achieves Vonnegut's goals very well. The anti-war sentiment within the book is very obvious, and at the same time it isn't the only impression one takes away from the book. It makes the reader think, whether that reader is anti-war or not. The beginning of the book, narrated by Vonnegut himself, is where he clearly shows the reasons for writing this book. He says such things as, "The nicest veterans... the ones who hated the war most, were the ones who'd really fought" (10). This is not the only theme occurring in the novel, however.
Other themes that Vonnegut explores are death and time. The Trafalmadorians teach Billy Pilgrim about both of these. Billy says, "'The most important thing I learned on Trafalmadore was that when a person dies, he only appears to die. He is still very much alive in the past, so it is very silly for people to cry at his funeral. All moments, past, present, and future, always have existed, always will exist... It is just an illusion we have here on Earth that one moment follows another one... and that once a moment is gone it is gone forever'" (25). One can apply this to one's own life life in the idea that one shouldn't mourn a death, but should rather cherish the memories experienced with that loved one. These additional themes set this novel apart from other anti-war novels.
One could compare Slaughterhouse Five to another famous anti-war novel, Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Although both books delve into the horrors of war, Vonnegut seems to branch out more in his themes covered than Trumbo. Although Trumbo does address some other ideas, coming of age for example, anti-war sentiment is by far the dominating factor. Trumbo seems to throw the idea into the reader's face from the beginning to the end of the book. In contrast, Vonnegut talks about it but is not so forceful. This makes Slaughterhouse Five more effective because it is more appealing to the average reader. Not only that, but it is humorous and in many ways is more clever than Johnny Got His Gun. Although Vonnegut is not as forceful in his presentation of anti-war ideas, he uses various elements, like style, to communicate the ideas just as effectively, if not more so.
One part of Vonnegut's style that is so effective is his repetition. He often repeats the phrase “So it goes.” This is because Billy Pilgrim learned this idea from the Trafalmadorians who say the phrase about dead people, because, “the dead person... is in bad condition in that particular moment, but... is just fine in plenty of other moments. Now, when I myself hear that somebody is dead, I... say what the Trafalmadorians say about dead people, which is 'So it goes'” (26). Whenever death is mentioned in the book, it is more or less dismissed with a “So it goes.” However, this repetition has the opposite effect of shrugging death off, in that after enough repetitions it makes the reader pause and think whenever the phrase appears.
Overall, Slaughterhouse Five is an extremely clever and effective book that accurately communicates Vonnegut's ideas about war. This is an anti-war novel that, as the Trafalmadorians say, “always will exist” because it has an important message and is a worthwhile read for anyone.
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780385333849
- Subtitle:
- Or the Children's Crusade, a Duty-Dance with Death
- Author:
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Delta
- Location:
- New York :
- Subject:
- Literary
- Subject:
- World war, 1939-1945
- Subject:
- Classics
- Subject:
- American fiction (fictional works by one author)
- Subject:
- Historical fiction
- Subject:
- American fiction (fictional works by one auth
- Series Volume:
- no. 1
- Publication Date:
- January 1999
- Binding:
- Paperback
- Language:
- English
- Illustrations:
- Y
- Pages:
- 288
- Dimensions:
- 7.88x5.47x.74 in. .53 lbs.
