Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
By some computer quirk I have been assigned two books in succession by Kurt Vonnegut, whose books I had not read until now. I thought, a few days ago, when writing my brief review of Slaughterhouse Five, that the science fiction framework--time travel, invaders from outer space--was unfortunate; I think so even more on reflection. I believe it undermines the important subject of the book, which is war, centered around the bombing of Dresden. Breakfast of Champions also has a flaw: I think that the author's inserting himself into the story toward the end is awkward and pointless. But it does less damage here. Breakfast of Champions is a satire. Unlike Slaughterhouse Five it does not have an important subject, let alone a thesis. Vonnegut satirizes everything under the sun--sex, politics, racism, religion, pollution; the list is endless. He satirizes things by describing them in ways that make them appear ridiculous, and he is often very funny, but he does not set up anything to take their place; he is not offering solutions. In this regard the writer whom he most resembles is Voltaire, who works much the same way.( Collapse )