EPTKurt Vonnegut Appreciation Thread - Page 5
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Ideas
United States8167 Posts
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On April 15 2012 11:02 Ideas wrote: wow I never saw your bumps before. thanks!!! Thanks for joining us here man! I try to update at least once a month with some pics or articles or something. Feel free to discuss KV, let us know about what the writings and everything mean to you!  | ||
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itkovian
United States1763 Posts
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On April 15 2012 11:35 itkovian wrote: I read Slaughterhouse Five back in high school and I remember I really enjoyed Vonnegut's writing style. I remember he managed to amuse and horrify me at the same time, which was something I hadn't really experience before. I never got around to reading anything else by him, unfortunately, cause I've been busy reading other stuff. It sounds like I should check out Cat's Cradle though, a lot of people are giving it top praise in here. This is a common experience with some people. His style is brilliantly simple while being both funny, dark, and moral at the same time. Cat's Cradle is an excellent choice for a second read. My first was SH5, but second was Breakfast of Champions, so I usually recommend either CC of BoC. Go for it. | ||
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YouGotNothin
United States907 Posts
This is kind of like Breakfast of Champions, a plot summary of that book would sound nonsensical, until you read it and have your mind blown, (P.S. my favorite Vonnegut moment is in Breakfast of Champions when the artist explains his simple painting to everyone). | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On April 15 2012 12:02 YouGotNothin wrote: I have read quite a few of Vonnegut's novels now, he is certainly one of my favorite authors. I most recently read Galapagos, which I enjoyed a lot. I must say though, the whole novel is like a build up to something really exciting (the boat voyage/island) with little hints throughout of what is to come, then you reach the end of the book and you are like "wait, what?". But then I realized he already really explained what would happen on the island throughout the novel and the buildup really was the important part. It takes a writer with the skills of Vonnegut to write a compelling, thought-provoking story without actually having much of a plot at all. This is kind of like Breakfast of Champions, a plot summary of that book would sound nonsensical, until you read it and have your mind blown, (P.S. my favorite Vonnegut moment is in Breakfast of Champions when the artist explains his simple painting to everyone). Good take on Galapagos. This book blew me away as the third KV book that I read when I was younger. It is a point that KV stories tend to have, the journey is the real destination, not the end result. It reminds me of the old "Aristocrats" joke. While the punchline is just more of a punctuation at the end of a brilliant sentence. | ||
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Kimaker
United States2131 Posts
As a side note, does anyone actually LIKE Bluebeard? O_o? | ||
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YouGotNothin
United States907 Posts
On April 15 2012 12:11 TheAmazombie wrote: Good take on Galapagos. This book blew me away as the third KV book that I read when I was younger. It is a point that KV stories tend to have, the journey is the real destination, not the end result. It reminds me of the old "Aristocrats" joke. While the punchline is just more of a punctuation at the end of a brilliant sentence. Lol, can't believe you just compared Vonnegut novels to the Aristocrats joke. Anyways, I know this may be a bit off-topic but has anyone read Vonnegut's son's (Mark Vonnegut) book The Eden Express? The topic interests me, apparently it is autobiographical and about his struggle with schizophrenia. I am not typically a fan of autobiography but if he has any of the talent of KV, it could be intriguing. | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On April 15 2012 12:22 Kimaker wrote: Sirens has always been my favorite. Spectacular book. Spoke the most to me of anything he's written, the line, "The crowd having been promised nothing, felt cheated having received nothing." As a side note, does anyone actually LIKE Bluebeard? O_o? Hey, go back to the first couple pages of the thread. I think you asked the same question. There are a couple responses. Hell yeah I LOVE Bluebeard! =) | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On April 15 2012 12:25 YouGotNothin wrote: Lol, can't believe you just compared Vonnegut novels to the Aristocrats joke. Anyways, I know this may be a bit off-topic but has anyone read Vonnegut's son's (Mark Vonnegut) book The Eden Express? The topic interests me, apparently it is autobiographical and about his struggle with schizophrenia. I am not typically a fan of autobiography but if he has any of the talent of KV, it could be intriguing. So I started it, but I didn't finish. I made it just a couple of chapters in. While it was somewhat interesting, I just couldn't read it due to the crappy old Mass-market paperback version that I have. Someday I will finish it. I know he has a second book as well. I also have Edith's book of paintings which is wonderful. I also read "Love as Always, Vonnegut as I knew Him" which was really interesting, just to hear the point of view of the man from someone that knew him rather close. | ||
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Kimaker
United States2131 Posts
On April 15 2012 12:26 TheAmazombie wrote: Hey, go back to the first couple pages of the thread. I think you asked the same question. There are a couple responses. Hell yeah I LOVE Bluebeard! =) I know...but I just can't get over the dichotomy.... Sirens of Titan, Cat's cradle, Slaughterhouse 5 all blew my mind. Then BOOM. I read Bluebeard. I love the man's writing to death, but I will never forgive him that book  | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On April 15 2012 12:37 Kimaker wrote: I know...but I just can't get over the dichotomy.... Sirens of Titan, Cat's cradle, Slaughterhouse 5 all blew my mind. Then BOOM. I read Bluebeard. I love the man's writing to death, but I will never forgive him that book LoL! See, this is almost how I felt when reading Jailbird...not impressed with that one at all, but Bluebeard is one of my favorite books ever written, not just Vonnegut books. I love the simple humanity of it all, its take on art and legacy, the various differences in opinions and all. I think it is great. I will forgive you for that one. | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
http://www.mlssoccer.com/fans/news/article/2012/05/18/armchair-analyst-mls-owes-everything-its-fan-base | ||
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SeinGalton
South Africa387 Posts
I'm growing into quite the Vonnegut fan - earlier this year I picked up Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five and fell in love with both books - particularly the former. Cat's Cradle represented everything that I have ever wanted to see in a single story: I'm still trying to wrap my head around how he fit so much into such a small book so well. And then he did it again in Slaughterhouse-Five. Having aroused the suspicion in me that these two books might not just be flukes, I decided to pick up Galapagos which I have just started and which seems to confirm my suspicions. Vonnegut might be one of the most underrated geniuses of the 20th century. | ||
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Nekosan78
United Kingdom7 Posts
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mikedebo
Canada4341 Posts
That scene with the planes dropping bombs in reverse time completely altered my fragile highschool-age brain lol. Permanently knocked me out of the fantasy genre and served as a stepping-stone to going back in time to read classics and more challenging literature. | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On May 19 2012 20:53 SeinGalton wrote: Hello; I'm growing into quite the Vonnegut fan - earlier this year I picked up Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five and fell in love with both books - particularly the former. Cat's Cradle represented everything that I have ever wanted to see in a single story: I'm still trying to wrap my head around how he fit so much into such a small book so well. And then he did it again in Slaughterhouse-Five. Having aroused the suspicion in me that these two books might not just be flukes, I decided to pick up Galapagos which I have just started and which seems to confirm my suspicions. Vonnegut might be one of the most underrated geniuses of the 20th century. Welcome to the world of Vonnegut friend. Galapagos was my 3rd KV book and I love it. If you read SL5 and Cats, I recommend Breakfast of Champions, TimeQuake, and Sirens of Titan as the next ones. He is the man. On May 19 2012 22:09 Nekosan78 wrote: Haha it so ridiculous to see this thread today! Just wrote a 15 page answer on slaughterhouse five in my university finals only several hours ago! Kurt Vonnegut cannot be praised enough for his genius. I would have loved to sit down and talk with, such a shame he is dead already. So it goes. I still quote SL5 on a daily basis. On May 19 2012 22:20 mikedebo wrote: +1 That scene with the planes dropping bombs in reverse time completely altered my fragile highschool-age brain lol. Permanently knocked me out of the fantasy genre and served as a stepping-stone to going back in time to read classics and more challenging literature. The reverse bomb scene is one of the greatest pieces of writing IMO in the English language. That book is full of small parts like that which bring so much insight and human nature to life for me. I love the part where he talks about being crammed into the train cars and how people would fight and push, except when they would be given food. He sums it up so perfectly by the simple sentence: "We shared." | ||
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college. This article states how writer used to agree, but has finally started finding a place for the use of it. I hope Vonnegut fans will enjoy the read. It comes complete with this pic: + Show Spoiler + ![[image loading]](http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/07/02/opinion/draft-semicolon-art/draft-semicolon-art-blog427-v2.jpg) http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/02/semicolons-a-love-story/ The writer was struck by the famous quote from Isaac Babel where he states: No iron can pierce a heart with such force as a period put just at the right place. What do you guys think? I still think that the semicolon is an annoyance in reading. There are times when I am writing that I want to use it, but then whenever I type it in myself, I just think it looks trashy. LoL. | ||
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Shadowbite
United States16 Posts
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TheAmazombie
United States3714 Posts
On July 05 2012 09:42 Shadowbite wrote: A really great author. I can't believe no one has posted this yet. A great cameo in the awesome movie "Back to School". + Show Spoiler + http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQnAhSzb4gY Yeah, that was a great cameo and one of the great 80s films. I keep meaning to order one of the "Welcome to the Monkey House" DVDs but it is one of those that I always look at, and always put back for something else. There are a few more appearances like the commercial director in the 90s version of "Breakfast of Champions." I will add this vid to the OP. Thanks! | ||
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