existence of the author and the reader as well, bringing to light the possibility of free will being an illusion in favor of a divine power (or "writer") that decides the fate of all.

Postmodernism also often utilizes a deconstruction of traditional forms. In Breakfast of Champions, Vonnegut frequently uses ideas of self-reflection (that is, referring to the author himself as well as a number of his other works, characters, etc.), which is a common trait of postmodernism. Vonnegut tosses aside literary tradition in favor of a unique and often informal language that utilizes crude sketches to convey specific thoughts. Instead of explaining an object, Vonnegut often sketches one out on the page for the reader to see.

By abandoning traditional form, utilizing self-reflection, and opening the door to existentialist philosophy, Breakfast of Champions stands out as one of the most obvious forms of literary postmodernism.

Whether a work is "funny" or not is, of course, somewhat subjective. What is not subjective is that Kurt Vonnegut frequently used humor in his work including his seventh novel, Breakfast of Champions, and the humor is arguably postmodern. Postmodern use of humor is often described as dark or "gallows humor," in that it will joke about difficult or uncomfortable subjects, like sex or racism. The tone Vonnegut adopts in the novel is rather glib and cavalier, as if nothing matters, which is another key postmodern idea.

However, I would argue that a lot did matter to Vonnegut and that he, despite his sometimes controversial subject matter and raw humor, was a humanist at heart. In this case, humor is both a means to reprimand humanity for its failures and a defense mechanism for Vonnegut, who was consistently disappointed in the inhumanity of man. His most famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, is perhaps a better example of this approach.

In Breakfast of Champions, Vonnegut mixes tones, genres, and styles, which is a key feature of postmodern writers. The book's humor is very self-aware and self-referential; Vonnegut himself appears, as does his alter ego, the sci-fi writer Kilgore Trout. Another unusual feature is that Vonnegut's drawings appear throughout the book, which gives is a kind of juvenile, schoolboy quality. In this way, the humor is often undercutting the plot or theme of the book, making it somewhat hard to untangle Vonnegut's actual thoughts or point of view. Again, this unsettling of the reader and heavy use if irony is very much in line with the postmodern project.

I'd also recommend Vonnegut's Palm Sunday.

There are several aspects of this novel that fit well with postmodernism. The first is the way Vonnegut breaks the narrative frame. He puts himself in and out of the story, disrupting the illusion of a coherent fictional world and calling attention to its constructed nature. A second is the strong emphasis on consumerism. The name of the novel itself is drawn from mass advertising for a breakfast cereal, and introduces a strong note of irony. Is anything in this novel a breakfast of champions? Are there any champions here?