Sources

Frye, Northrop, ‘‘The Nature of Satire,’’ in University of Toronto Quarterly, Vol. 14, October 1944.

King, Larry L., ‘‘Old Soup,’’ in New York Times Book Review, September 1, 1968, pp. 4-5, 19.

Levitas, Mitchel, ‘‘Books of the Times: A Slight Case of Candor,’’ in New York Times, August 19, 1968, p. 35.

Meek, Martha (revised by Peter Reed), ‘‘Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.,’’ in Critical Survey of Short Fiction, revised edition, Vol. 6, edited by Frank Magill, Salem Press, 1993, pp. 2364-71.

Minow, Newton, ‘‘The Vast Wasteland,’’ reprinted in The Annals of America, Vol. 18, 1961-1968: The Burdens of World Power, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1968, pp. 12-20.

Nichol, Charles, ‘‘The Volunteer Fireman,’’ in Atlantic Monthly, Vol. 222, No. 3., September 1968, pp. 123-4.

Reedy, Gerard, Review of Welcome to the Monkey House, in America, Vol. 119, No. 7, September 14, 1968, pp. 190-91.

Schatt, Stanley, ‘‘The Short Stories,’’ in Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Boston: Twayne, 1976, pp. 119-35.

Uphaus, Robert W., ‘‘Expected Meaning in Vonnegut's Dead-End Fiction,’’ in The Critical Response to Kurt Vonnegut, edited by Leonard Mustazza, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994, pp. 165-74.

Vonnegut, Kurt, ‘‘Address to P.E.N. Conference in Stockholm, 1973,’’ in his Wampeters, Foma, & Granfalloons: Opinions, New York: Dell, 1974, pp. 225-29.

Vonnegut, Kurt, ‘‘America: What's Good, What's Bad?’’ in Vogue, Vol. 162, July 1973, 62-64. Reprinted as "Address at Rededication of Wheaton College Library’’ in his Wampeters, Foma, & Granfalloons: Opinions, New York: Dell, 1974, pp. 225-29.

Vonnegut, Kurt, Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage of the 1980s, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1991, pp. 82-5, 113-16, 149-52.

Vonnegut, Kurt, ‘‘Mark Twain,’’ in his Palm Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage, New York: Delacorte Press, 1981, pp. 166-72.

Vonnegut, Kurt, ‘‘Playboy Interview,’’ in Playboy, Vol. 20, July 1973, pp. 57-60+. Reprinted in his Wampeters, Foma, & Granfalloons: Opinions, New York: Dell, 1974, pp. 237-85.

Further Reading

The Annals of America, Vol. 17, 1950-1960: Cold War in the Nuclear Age, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1968.
This volume highlights key events and their dates in a timeline, along with reprints of notable speeches and documents.

Klinkowitz, Jerome, and Donald L. Lawler, eds. Vonnegut in America: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Kurt Vonnegut, Delacorte Press-Seymour Lawrence, 1977, p. 304.
Features Conrad Festa's insightful essay on Vonnegut as a satirist and includes a comprehensive bibliography of Vonnegut's works.

Klinkowitz, Jerome, Lawler, Donald L., and John Somer, eds. The Vonnegut Statement, Delacorte Press, 1973, p. 286.
Examines Vonnegut's public and private life, as well as his novels. Klinkowitz suggests that Vonnegut embodies middle-class values rather than rebellious ones.

Layman, Richard, ed. American Decades: 1950-1959, Vol. 6, Manly, Inc.-Gale Research, 1994.
Offers detailed information on 1950s events, categorized into sections such as ‘‘Government and Politics," "Law and Justice,’’ and ‘‘Lifestyles and Social Trends.’’

Leeds, Marc, The Vonnegut Encyclopedia: An Authorized Compendium, Greenwood Press, 1995, p. 693.
This encyclopedia, organized alphabetically, includes entries on everything from Celia Aamons (from Cat's Cradle) to Zog (a Kilgore Trout character from Breakfast of Champions).

Merrill, Robert, ed. Critical Essays on Kurt Vonnegut, G. K. Hall, 1990, 235 p.
Contains reviews of Vonnegut's novels; analyses of his early works; an extensive section of essays on Slaughterhouse-Five; and discussions on his later works.

Mustazza, Leonard, ed. The Critical Response to Kurt Vonnegut, Greenwood Press, 1994, 346 p.
This anthology of essays, original book reviews, and excerpts from other works charts the evolution of Vonnegut's academic standing over time. It features contributions from most noted Vonnegut scholars, alongside writings from authors like Michael Crichton, John Irving, Doris Lessing, and Terry Southern.

The short story "Harrison Bergeron" was adapted into a video by Showtime and released in 1995. The production featured Sean Astin and Christopher Plummer in leading roles. Bruce Pittman, the director, received a nomination for Canada's Gemini Award for "Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series." Readers may also want to explore other short stories from Welcome to the Monkey House, the collection in which "Harrison Bergeron" was included.

Abel, David. "Vonnegut Redux: Lost Man on Campus." Reprinted in Edmonton Journal (June 3, 2001): E13. This article features an interview with Vonnegut, as well as several English professors and students from Smith College, highlighting Vonnegut's continued writing and his ongoing dissemination of his satirical perspectives on life and literature. The piece includes numerous insightful quotes from Vonnegut and his colleagues.

Alvarez, Joseph. Entry on "Harrison Bergeron." In Exploring Short Stories. Detroit: Gale, 1998. This critical commentary on the story provides useful character summaries and discusses "Harrison Bergeron" in the context of Vonnegut's views on American societal conditions.

Festa, Conrad. "Vonnegut's Satire." In Vonnegut in America: An Introduction to the Life and Work of Kurt Vonnegut. Edited by Jerome Klinkowitz and Donald L. Lawler. New York: Delacorte Press, 1977. This essay explores how Vonnegut's use of satire evolves over time.

Klinkowitz, Jerome. Kurt Vonnegut. London: Methuen, 1982. An analysis of Vonnegut as a contemporary author, primarily through discussions of his major novels. It serves as both a readable, light biography and a literary analysis. This book is highly recommended for young adult readers seeking to understand Vonnegut's motivations and his fiction.

Mowery, Carl. Overview of "Harrison Bergeron." In Overview of Exploring Short Stories. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. This discussion examines how Vonnegut uses satire to critique the concept of enforced equality.

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Fates Worse Than Death: An Autobiographical Collage of the 1980s. New York: Delacorte, 1990.

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Timequake. New York: Delacorte, 1997. A reworking of a "Kilgore Trout" novel manuscript, this book features extensive self-referential essay material, with some parts rendered as "creative nonfiction" and others as speculative fiction about an imagined future, five years post-publication. This work is primarily of interest to Vonnegut enthusiasts.

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. Wampeters, Foma and Granfalloons. New York: Delacorte, 1981. A collection of essays that should be included in high-school reading lists across the West. This thought-provoking work showcases Vonnegut's straightforward ideas.

Wood, Karen and Charles Wood. The Vonnegut Statement. New York: Dell Publishing, 1973. A scholarly literary examination of Vonnegut and his writings, with a focus on formal prose and literary structure, often more detailed than Vonnegut himself ever engaged in.