Inside the Absurdist Mind of Kurt Vonnegut | It's Lit

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It can be said that there are two types of fiction writers - those who take a backseat and let their work take the spotlight, and those who are as iconic as their work, sometimes even more so.
But maybe there’s a third type - a type of writer whose complex persona is so intertwined with their fiction - that to ignore them as a person would be to ignore their work entirely. In this episode, we explore the life and work of Kurt Vonnegut.
Hosted by Lindsay Ellis and Princess Weekes, It’s Lit! is a show about our favorite books, genres, and why we love to read. It’s Lit is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.
Hosted by: Princess Weekes
Written by: David McCracken and Princess Weekes
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: Jordyn Buckland
Writing Consultant: Maria Clause, PhD
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
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[@BallotBoxer]

My favorite part in *Slaughterhouse-Five* is the description of the bombs going in reverse: being caught by the planes, safely returned to the factory where they are heroically dismantled.

[@jansmitowiczauthor78]

And then broken into their mineral composites, which are buried around the world. One of the most beautiful, brilliant passages of writing I've ever read

[@swankidelic]

My least favorite is when the dog dies.

[@akimmel6941]

I read it to three people after I first read it.😉

[@akimmel6941]

@@swankidelic , so it goes.😢

[@rctecopyright]

In a book with extra dimensional aliens I found that part the most outlandish. 😅

[@miraprime474]

Vonnegut wrote so many utterly hilarious and deeply gut punching stories. He's one of the greatest writers of all time.

[@fredpies]

agree, one of its kind

[@ecurewitz]

I have always enjoyed many of his books

[@johnedwardkerr7814]

He and Thomas Pynchon were equals, I also love William kotzwinkle and Jonathan Lethem, they are the modern writer's equivalents. Plus Stefan Merrill Block, as Oliver Loving was a masterpiece!

[@re-peteafter-me2008]

@@johnedwardkerr7814 Thank you for the recommendations. Now could you help me with modern Sinclair Lewis's. Just asking for a friend.

[@b-wreckad2680]

Vonnegut- he’ll make you laugh. He’ll make you cry. All on the same page. GOAT

[@merrittanimation7721]

I read all of his novels over the course of last December. I kept joking with my relatives that it was like reading the world's most complicated and distorted memoir based on how much of his own life he put into them.

[@korobizaka]

I love how Princess could wear a Fire Emblem Three Houses crest while talking about a totally unrelated topic like Vonnegut

[@Riseeka]

There is a very Vonnegut-like vibe to that game I hadn’t considered until this vid. The lead can go through time like they’re Billy Pilgrim, there are a lot of “so it goes” one-liners as characters deal with losses from war(s), and each of the allied lords has almost a Paul Proteus zeal to their plots to change the social order.

[@rare.phukin.spotted.halibut]

Cat's Cradle was the gateway book that got me through my adolescent angst. You can get over anything even the end of the world. Even the most horrible circumstances is just absurdity given enough time, and distance.

[@prapanthebachelorette6803]

Such wise words

[@hanawana]

i became a bokononist when i was around 15/16

[@MrUndersolo]

You were not alone. I read it as part of a school project where we could choose any genre and write about the writers listed. No one else choose him, and I think it just unzipped my brain and spoke to me in a way that no one else had.

[@ExUSSailor]

I treasure the works of Vonnegut! I first read "Breakfast of Champions" in my teens, at a bad time for me, and, it saved my life.

[@jvgreendarmok]

I read it during a bad time as well. I wonder if it's particularly good for that.

[@beanbagbooks]

I used to work at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis, and this is very similar to what I'd say in tours (though Princess Weekes presents it rather more eloquently). It's got a lot more stuff than it did when I worked there - come visit :)

[@transrightsbaybee]

that museum kicks ass! i highly recommend anyone with an opportunity to visit indianapolis to go directly to the KVML

[@wendychavez5348]

@beanbagbooks , you are amazing! That's a job I would have grabbed if the opportunity arose!

[@stephenwilliams163]

I wouldn't be the person I am without Vonnegutt. If I had to put into words what I learned from his work it would be an understanding that life is absolutely terrible and cruel sometimes, that people can be stupid, uncaring, and crazy sometimes, and that all you can do is face it and keep trying your best.

[@HakuYuki001]

If you needed to learn that from a book then you’ve contradicted its reality. But it is real therefore you didn’t actually learn it from a book but are making up a story to justify your love of the book.

[@SarahGreen523]

I read Slaughterhouse Five when I was sixteen. I think I should go back and read it again to see how much more I understand and measure how formative it was for me. I had forgotten that '...so it goes' came from reading his work. He is one of the people I'd like to meet when I die. Shout out to Princess Weeks! Love to see her!

[@fromthedumpstertothegrave3689]

I still regularly shout "Ding-a-ling you sonofabitch!" as a curse and legit can't remember which book of his I read it in or the context. I read vonnegut around 19 and now 35 went back and started re-reading. I wouldn't say it didn't hold up, its still great, but its not the same as when I read it as a teenager. That said I reckon Terry Pratchett was incredibly formative for me and when I go back and read his books I can genuinely see how much of my worldview was either formed by, or already resonated with, the way he writes. So maybe you'll have that experience re-reading Vonnegut :)

[@user-yu3in7wn5d]

i'm sixteen and have read a man without a country and slaughterhouse five! this is exactly what i've been wanting to do -- keep revisiting this book in the future :) it's an absolute favourite and i'm doing my english literature coursework on it!

[@RobGordon]

Me too - I'm 68 now but read it when I was about 16 - formed much of my view of the world I think.

[@sarahrose2421]

Yes reread them as adults, it makes a world of difference. Depending on your life experiences.

[@WTH1812]

Of all Vonnegut's works, "Welcome to the Monkey House", a collection of short stories, is probably the most impactful as it gives a variety of points of view within each of the stories. From "Harrison Bergeron" to "Long Walk to Forever" to "Miss Temptation" and all throughout he deftly forces the reader to see the different points of view of the characters and how each action is shaped by their inherent biases.

[@MikeInOregon]

I read Harrison Bergeron in 5th grade because it was in the school syllabus in 1980. That version described Harrison as black. More recent versions leave out that detail. Wonder why?

[@WTH1812]

@@MikeInOregon ... "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal." This is the first line of the original version. At no time in the story is anyone's skin color mentioned.

[@greyareaRK1]

It should be noted that at the time, Dresden was regarded as the most beautiful city in the world. The intense bombing created a firestorm so intense it drew in air at gale force, sucking people into the inferno. It was so much worse than any kind of bombing.

[@abdulrockman1]

It was the city with the most old world buildings, etc. The bombing of Dresden had nothing to do with the war, per say. It needed to be destroyed so that the current false narrative could be more easilty propagated.

[@jmh8817]

This reminded me that I really need to read more of Vonnegut.

[@prapanthebachelorette6803]

Agree

[@maristiller4033]

Same I read Slaughterhouse Five when I was like fifteen and I think I was too young to really “get” it ya know?

[@PinakiSwain]

He saved me during my PhD depression days. Highly recommend to anyone dealing with isolation, and any growing up issues.

[@MurderousEagle]

I want to scream the text of Mother Night into the world. The world made it a prophecy, Vonnegut did not want to be a prophet.

[@AllTheArtsy]

Vonnegut's work is the kind of case where I really hate the general application of "death of the author" because, yeah, no, sometimes the author is very much alive. Without context of his personal life, his work can stand on its own merit, definitely. But it is far richer and more complex if you do put it within that framing. I think that's why he resonates with so many people.

[@alexdillahunt6908]

Yeah, I've always disliked the concept of "death of the author". Some authors may intentionally leave their work up to interpretation, which is fine, but many (if not most) have a distinct point they are trying to make or message that they are trying to send. I've felt that "death of the author" is basically telling someone "No, you're wrong. The work you made actually means something else". Context is everything.

[@sarahwatts7152]

@@alexdillahunt6908 I hang out in the middle - like, I agree with John Green that once a book is out there the author doesn't necessarily have control over how people see it ("Hey Ya" is a great example of this), but also where someone is coming from influences what's on the page to begin with. I think it just comes down to shades of grey, as frustrating as that is.

[@Caterfree10]

I feel like Death of the Author is frequently abused to either excuse crappy actions or beliefs of authors (see: JKR) or to divorce a work from things in an author’s life that definitely influenced their work. The only times I really see it used well is in the case of transformative fandom, when fans come together to create new things in those sandboxes, even if authors don’t like it (see: Anne Rice and Diana Galbadon’s attempts to stifle fanfiction).

[@waltonsmith7210]

@Caterfree10 I think its more about not making a one to one comparison between the life events of the author and the book as if that explains everything that the book is doing.

[@nondescriptcat5620]

that isn't really what Death of the Author is, at least in Roland Barthes's original application. it isn't that you should ignore historical context, it's a statement about interpretation, saying that the author doesn't ultimately dictate the meaning of a text, but rather it's collectively constructed by the audiences interactions with the text and each other. so Vonnegut's Persona overshadowing the real person to his audience is an example of Death of the Author.

[@omnitoad2187]

Vonnegut was the author responsible for teaching me that reading was actually worth while. The first author I liked that really spoke to me on an emotional level, when I was a dejected teen. And he was batsh!t insane... so I'm sure that says something about me.

[@thexalon]

Sometimes I have to wonder whether he was a Tralfalmadorian in disguise. I got hooked reading Breakfast of Champions: The drawings in particular, especially that of the spider and something else that looked identical to the spider.

[@keykrazy]

Same. That drawing & description of the torch at the top of the Statue of Liberty as being "like an ice cream cone on fire" still cracks me up just to type those words, even today! The other drawings.. drew me in, if you will -- the hilarity and spot-on nature of them comforted and mentored me as though some wise, elder uncle were being so terribly candid in letting me in on all the insane games going on long before either of us were here to likewise be driven a little mad by them.

[@olipritchard8151]

I love Vonnegut. And world War 2, Hitler Boogaloo had me crying 🤣🤣

[@FGP_Pro]

I'm so honored that I got to meet him a couple of years before he died. He gave a talk in Albion, Michigan. I hold him in high regard as one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century.

[@fredpies]

The Sirens of Titan - is an absolute masterpiece, a farce about the reality that surrounds us, how small a person is and how little he knows, if our entire solar system disappeared, the universe would not notice it, it must be read between the lines

[@animeevergreenathena]

I can only imagine how history would’ve turned out if he and George Carlin got together and lived throughout the pandemic. Oh boy, now wouldn’t THEY make a great pairing for a variety of projects, ha ha! Nice analysis, by the way! I like how you tied up Vonnegut’s personal life together with his complex personality/“personalities,” depending on how you wish to look at it, of course.

[@PhosphorAlchemist]

I'm picturing then cussing each other out at length in the back garden, bumming cigarettes off each other the whole while. Then when one of them was heading back inside to refill his cup, he ask the other, "more coffee?"

[@grandthanatos]

The first time I ever heard of Slaughterhouse Five was in the movie Footloose. I wonder if Vonnegut ever saw his book being mentioned in the movie and how it caused controversy in the town. I like to think if he did, he would laugh at it.

[@asymptoticspatula]

I read all of his novels around 18-19 years ago. I’m getting ready to read them again. My favorite has been Sirens of Titan and I’m curious to see if that will change after rereading them as a middle aged man instead of a young man.

[@SmithMrCorona]

I am always happy after watching Princess Weekes deliver something like this. She always makes me feel slightly smarter afterwards.

[@abdulrockman1]

That is because she is so dumb with her constant hand gesturing. That is why I love reading so much. It is the words that matter, not the unnecessary "talking with her hands."

[@fugithegreat]

Vonnegut's novels always put me into existential crisis mode, because I can see myself and the whole world in all those characters who are caught up drifting in an absurd current to our own destruction or untimely end. And yet, there is so much to savor in those stories, and many moments of peace to be found.

[@alpakaracka6742]

why does this only have 2.000 views, this is a great video, please never stop doing your videos!

[@zesky6654]

It just got posted. Give it a day or two.

[@wendychavez5348]

One of my best-ever friends reminded me years ago how amazing Kurt Vonnegut is! This is the same friend who first got me to watch A Clockwork Orange. See why he's such a good friend?!

[@irighterotica]

My favorite author, right behind Terry Pratchett.

[@ecurewitz]

Both legends

[@haolekoa737]

You, my friend, have impeccable taste.

[@PhokenKuul]

My Calculus 3 instructor used to say there were three kinds of mathematicians in the world, those who can count and those who can't.

[@the_epicfangirl]

I wrote a research paper my sophomore year of high school about Slaughterhouse Five for my American Lit class. My teacher wanted us to pick an American writer, and that book was one I’d found in my uncle’s old room at my grandma’s house and taken home. I absolutely loved it. This video makes me want to find my paper and cringe at sixteen year old me’s writing.

[@Poohze01]

Great video! I was born in the late 50s and grew up in the 60s and 70s, and Kurt certainly helped *me* deal with those times. Humor, a commitment to justice and refusing to look away from the darkness are powerful tools.

[@timothybell5698]

Breakfast of Champions was the most impactful book I ever read. I actually worked in some pretty hardcore sales environments while struggling with undiagnosed ADHD and dysthymia. Reading Breakfast of Champions was such an uplifting experience for me, even though most of the book is fairly dark. It was just really comforting to read this book that's so personal, and so authentic, and with such a deep portrayal of not only mental illness, but how it relates to the greater social context. One of the more subtle messages of the book is how *everyone* loses under capitalism, even one of the better off members of society struggles with mental health issues that we can understand given his work and life pressures. To this day one of the things I quote the most is Kilgore Trout's epitaph: "We are healthy only to the extent our ideas are humane." This was written a full 25 years before the field of positive psychology was established, and yet it encompasses not only how we ought to treat others, but how we ought to treat ourselves.

[@stanleywilczak6018]

Vonnegut is one of my favorite writers… thank you for such an in depth overlook of a legendary literary titan.

[@ClintEPereira]

Now THAT is how you quote a dictionary. Also interesting lesson in what words PBS does and doesn't allow.

[@livescript4462]

Any time I get really really depressed and feel like I can't go on I remember Kurt's writings. Makes me feel okay having doodley squat!

[@julphines]

Cats Cradle is one of my favorite books of all time. A+

[@davidcarmer7216]

Not gonna lie. I saw the thumbnail of Vonnegut and shrugged. Then I realized it was for a Storied video and watched immediately. Princess' delivery always brightens my day!

[@JennieWrenStar]

Thank you Princess, for an eloquent, brief, yet profound depiction of an extraordinary man, even in his own words “hard to describe”. 🙏🌹

[@2bsirius]

What happened to _God Bless You, Mr Rosewater_ in Vonnegut's report card at frame 15:20? It is rated almost 4 stars on Goodreads. The summary there is: *Second only to Slaughterhouse-Five of Vonnegut's canon in its prominence and influence, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1965) presents Eliot Rosewater, an itinerant, semi-crazed millionaire* *wandering the country in search of heritage and philanthropic outcome, introducing the science fiction writer Kilgore Trout.* It's an excellent novel. I still smile when I think of it.

[@Furore2323]

Did not expect a PBS/Weekes joint to move me to tears today.

[@brokenclavicle]

This series does not get the amount of likes it deserves. Good stuff.

[@_great_expectations_9478]

I think one of the most underrated things Vonnegut wrote was Rabo Karebekian’s speech about his art in Breakfast of Champions. That he had this pretentious ass deliver the themes of the book so directly and eloquently that his words even surprised KV really encapsulates what I love about his work.

[@Lucius1958]

Have you read "Bluebeard" yet?

[@nubojin]

I’ve just ordered Mr Rosewater. Really excited to be reading the “god damn it, you’ve got to be kind” first hand in flesh. It always get me emotional hearing that quote. It feels like if there’s one thing we human should do, it is that.

[@phoneheaded]

God Bless You Mr. Rosewater gets better each time you read it and with more Vonnegut you read. It was the book that made me love Kilgore Trout. It's wonderful if you're already acquitted with Vonnegut, but it's a great introduction to his world. If you want more, Breakfast of Champions is most closely related, but Jailbird is also a good choice (thematically, not necessarily in the context of Vonnegut canon).

[@heartdragon2386]

To this day, my favorite author. Though it may not be his deepest work, my favorite is Welcome To The Monkey House. I think because I read it pretty young, when I was just dipping into the vast well of science fiction. The range of stories go from serious to a bit silly, but all with a point. It gave me a glimpse into a spectrum of imagined futures, and alter ate histories. I had thought all sci-fi had to be robots in space until I read that book.

[@mypal1990]

Vonnegut really takes the absurd and made the stories so deep. Breakfast of champions really got me through tough times and a comfort in those times.

[@technocore1591]

I remember how much joy I took in even the formatting of "Cat's Cradle", the paperback edition I had was 137 pages, with 136 chapters I think. Chapters being between a half page, to a page in a half on average. I was very disheartened to find if you try to buy a copy now, you can only find the gouging trade editions, with extra large type and spacing to make it a much bigger book.

[@jrmurph]

I love that last line! The truth lives on in his fiction, more or less. Wonderful homage.

[@nitanice]

as a n 18 year old bartender, "breakfast of champions" was my intro to Kurt Vonnegut. Brilliant. And later one of my customers had a super-muscle aluminum 50 foot racing sailboat named Ice Nine and I was reintroduced to him. Brilliant, brilliant writer. great video.

[@marlonmoncrieffe0728]

😯 WHOA! I was thinking about 'Harrison Bergeron' just a few hours ago!

[@cerysfrost3215]

I only came across Kurt Vonnegut from hearing an interview on British radio in the early 00s - I've read his short stories rather than his novels but they are great!

[@dlresearch1]

I saw Mr Vonnegut give a talk in a hotel conference room in the early 80s. He stood around for a bit afterward answering questions and chatting. He spoke to me and I shook his hand. I was 17 years old and had never been awestruck before that night, nor do I expect to be again. I left the hotel with my copy of God Bless You Mr. Rosewater unsigned. Just forgot it existed in the moment.

[@RickyDog1989]

I was not familiar with this author but now I wanna read all of his work!!

[@ecurewitz]

Start with slaughterhouse 5 . I also have a fondness for Galapagos

[@Clarkamadorian]

My first book of his was “God Bless You Mr. Rosewater” and the very first page speaking of how money to humans is like honey to bees, it had me thinking, “oh jeez, I’m gonna be reading more than just this book, aren’t I?”

[@twoheadedkitten13]

I got hooked on Vonnegut at Slaughterhouse Five, Sirens of Titan, and Cat's Cradle.

[@Airwr3ck]

I think the intro was supposed to be “there are three types of people in this world. Those who can can’t and those who can’t”. It’s supposed to be a joke

[@livescript4462]

Omg thank you so much for making this. I am such a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut & this was so awesome

[@peterwerle7966]

A great bit about one of my favorite authors. Hopefully we'll see lots more It's Lit coming, PBS keep this series up please!

[@coolnegative]

"Slaughterhouse Five" is literally in my reading queue. Looking forward to getting to it soon.

[@alicey.c.7316]

I recently read Slaughterhouse Five and was blown away!!! This video couldn’t have arrived at a better time!!! Thanks Princess xx

[@Crimson28]

I best remember Kurt from reading his work in high school and his cameo in Back to School 😂

[@turdferguson2982]

On top of being a great writer, he was a Kauffmanesque comedian and probably had a lot of good laughs at the expense of his audience.

[@danacoleman4007]

This is beautifully presented! Thank you so much for posting it!

[@prapanthebachelorette6803]

Wow, I have had a different life experience but resonated with him deeply. It’s quite rare for me to relate to someone in this way. He’s phenomenal

[@rafaela00002]

This series never disappoints

[@chibikonatsu]

God it's good to see someone talk about Vonnegut's work.

[@stevenmccart5455]

I went on a big Kurt Vonnegut bing when I was in high school. I read practically everything he wrote. One of my favorites..... so it goes.

[@Ms.gnomer]

God bless you Dr. Kevorkian, Galápagos, & Blue Beard are all good reads by him

[@markukeley2924]

And so it goes. (Great job! Time to revisit a master.)

[@grahamturner1290]

Most enlightening, thank you!

[@MikeInOregon]

This host is awesome. I hope she gets more work explaining literature!

[@kristianm3181]

She is! You can see more of her on her personal channel, Princess Weekes. She's excellent.

[@sarahrose2421]

Alll his work is fabulous. So profound, without the satire, you would cry through the whole book, instead of specific chapters.

[@black37914]

That was a great encapsulation of Vonnegut. Well done. I enjoyed it. Thank you.

[@jeffwalker6815]

I literally re-read all his books between everything else I read like dessert.

[@andrewsmith3081]

Brilliantly done. Thanks again.

[@paulrummery6905]

Galapagos for mine, for the sheer pleasure of Kurt's wise and friendly humour. That bit at the end where a seal-human farts on the beach and the other seal-humans are still human enough to giggle, a million odd years from now..

[@dr3754]

this. was. awesome. so well done. thanks!

[@assafrutenberg]

What a great series! Princess Weekes, you have a wonderful voice (both figuratively and literally).

[@buriedtoodeep1508]

thankyou for sharing your deeper understanding

[@TheSuzberry]

I’m the right age and inclination to have worshiped the peace-loving author but never bothered. Thanks for waking my interest.

[@ecurewitz]

I’ve always had a fondness for Galapagos

[@jefflambert7263]

That was a great video, and so well presented! KUDOS...

[@kennyhagan5781]

Big fan of the man's work. His short story TANGO is well worth reading.

[@thetowerkeeper]

Excellent and informative as ever. Thanks

[@kilgoresalmons]

God bless you mr. Vonnegut. You are my personal savior old dead man. ❤️This is an absurd world we inhabit, and we are absurd beings. Kurt made this oker to digest, not okay, I’m not the only one thinking I’m living in a bad sci fi novel.

[@stevethirdcitymo6527]

Slapstick was one of his finest, from one of the hardest times of his life.

[@NondescriptMammal]

Very nice presentation, well done. I used to read a lot, mostly non fiction, but Vonnegut was one of the few writers that I could relate to enough to want to read all his novels. My favorite has always been Breakfast of Champions, so I think he did it a disservice giving it a C.

[@vicjames3256]

WWII: Hitler Boogaloo - niiice. I literally use this ref for all sequels. Forgot to get something at the grocery store? *Piggly Wiggly's 2: Electric Boogaloo.*

[@eastvandb]

One of my favourite comments about Vonnegut's writing, which he said a friend said to him, was that he put bitter coatings on very sweet pills.

[@ericthompson3982]

Really loving this show.

[@williamgiovinazzo8523]

VEry Very well done. Love this.

[@douggieharrison6913]

Perfect ending.... Absolutely nailed it. "He did die....more or less. *cut to black*" Highlights the abruptness of death, and even the most interesting minds in modern history disappear quicker than the snap of your fingers

[@mikesands4681]

Very well presented

[@intoxicatedmasculinity]

My favorite author, really good video!

[@KelsaRavenlock]

He also has one of the most unexpected and worth while cameos in film in the movie "Back to School". As your teaching Lit you may find it amusing if you haven't seen it as the gag is about literature professors.

[@Monedgar]

I admire much of Vonneguts work. My all time favortie is Timequake. I know he seemed to not like it much, bit I don't know why. I think its touching and brilliant.

[@Lyra0966]

Superb introduction to one of my favourite writers. Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five are brilliant, iconic novels but I'm currently laughing my way through 'Welcome to the Monkey House'. So glad that happenstance brought me to this channel. I am subscribed.

[@PogieJoe]

Thank you for this one. Vonnegut is a real favorite of my partner and I's.

[@solarhammer6319]

Thank you!

[@ferengiprofiteer9145]

There are 3 types of people in the world. Those that can count and those that can't.

[@Lucius1958]

*"The world may be divided into two classes of people:* *those who divide the world into two classes of people, and those who don't."* - Robert Benchley

[@ferengiprofiteer9145]

@@Lucius1958 I don't remember where I stole that joke.