Slapstick (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
- First Published: 1976
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Grotesque literature, Dark comedy
- Subjects: Family or family life, United States or Americans, Religion, Brothers and sisters, Grandparents or grandchildren, Loneliness, Presidents
- Locales: United States
In the prologue to Slapstick: Or, Lonesome No More! Vonnegut writes, “This is the closest I will ever come to writing an autobiography.” That may seem surprising, given that the protagonist is a seven-foot, six-inch neanderthaloid with seven fingers on each hand and six nipples, but he clarifies his point by saying: “It is about what life feels like to me.” He calls it “grotesque situational comedy,” and that seems an apt description of the bizarre content of this novel. He also dedicates the novel to comedians Laurel and Hardy, who “did their best with...
[The entire page is 1272 words long]
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