Over the course of many years, talented scholars have delved into the depths of writing to unravel the mystery of western literature. As a result of a number of factors, the concept is very elusive and tends to stay in the shadows. For example, boundaries limiting its time period and region are vague and undefined. When and where does American literature truly begin? It's questions like these that stump the many philosophers who pursue the identity of western literature. Faced with a multitude of obstacles, historians and scholars often conflict on the matter at hand. With all this debate, western literature has emerged as one of the few words whose definition is not set in stone. Reasons for such discrepancy lie within the rapidly evolving American culture. However, using history as a foundation, we can track literary movements and, to a certain extent, define western literature. Puritanism, Rationalism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism are six that have shaped and molded the literature over the course of hundreds of years.
"Slaughterhouse Five", my independent reading novel, is a great representation of the last American literary movement so far, postmodernism. The book reveals a multitude of characteristics that directly correlate to the postmodernist style of writing. It becomes especially evident when the themes are recurring.
Right off the bat, Kurt Vonnegut's writing proves to be extremely self-reflexive. Often times, the text would refer to itself. Before the story actually begins, he writes "I've finished my war book now" (28), and "This one is a failure..." (28). By writing in this manner, Vonnegut addresses his own writing to create this sense of self-reflexivity. Over the course of the entire book, the phrase "So it goes" appears a large amount of times, often found following a dramatic scene. "So it goes" is short line conveying the feeling of resignation and ease. In my eyes, this phrase is merely comic relief in the face of dark, death-plagued humor. "Slaughterhouse Five" is also characterized by heavy fragmentation over large chunks of text. Billy Pilgrim, the main character, is "unstuck in time." From what I have deduced, he might have a mental condition that influences his memory, causing him to experience his life again. This is perfectly exemplified in his introduction: "He has walked through a door in 1955 and come out another one in 1941." His sporadic, unpredictable time traveling leaves the reader off-balance and somewhat confused.
There are a handful more reasons "Slaughterhouse Five" is a postmodernist piece of art, far too many to mention in this blog.
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