NationStates Jolt Archive

Okay, it's not important, but would people here class Kurt Vonnegut as a science fiction writer? I tend to think of him as more of a satirist, but what do you think?

Okay, it's not important, but would people here class Kurt Vonnegut as a science fiction writer? I tend to think of him as more of a satirist, but what do you think?

I think you're right: It's not important.

At any rate, one can be both these things, and many others, at the same time. He was a sci-fi writer, a satirist, a writer of dystopias, a writer about human behavior, and so on, and so forth.

I mean if we really had to pigeonhole the guy

I think he was a vey good writer indeed, and I guess that's all that is important.

I mean if we really had to pigeonhole the guy

Again, impossible. Because you'd have to know whether or not he wrote more sci-fi or more satires, and this is awfully subjective.

Okay, it's not important, but would people here class Kurt Vonnegut as a science fiction writer? I tend to think of him as more of a satirist, but what do you think?

He's both and that's alright. I spent a class talking about genre overlap and Vonnegut is a satireist and a science fiction writer. He could also be considered a surrealist if you want to go that far.

i defer to the big chain bookstores.

is he still sold in the sciencefiction section?

Nah, he's not an SF writer, although elements of SF show up in his books.

All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies. :D

surrealist.

satirist and just plain wicked awesome

Vonnegut crossed too many boundaries to be classified. He's a genre unto himself, like Tom Robbins.

Satirist. He has few "science fiction" novels.

"bloody awesome" is how I'd categorise him. Nothing more needs to be said.

"Painfully over-rated". An genre which also contains the works of Tolkien and Cormac McCarthy, who is actually quite rubbish.

"Painfully over-rated". An genre which also contains the works of Tolkien and Cormac McCarthy, who is actually quite rubbish.

Burn the heretic!

Burn the heretic!
You know I am right. You may hate to admit it, but you know I am right.

"bloody awesome" is how I'd categorise him. Nothing more needs to be said.

Agreed.

You know I am right. You may hate to admit it, but you know I am right.

No I don't. I quite like Kurt Vonnegut. And Tolkien. And though I've only read two books by McCarthy, I've liked both of those as well.

So just because I was jesting in my last post, does not mean that I agree with you. Secretly or otherwise.

So Nyeh! :P

"Painfully over-rated". An genre which also contains the works of Tolkien and Cormac McCarthy, who is actually quite rubbish.

You know I am right. You may hate to admit it, but you know I am right.

Yeah, just like people who say Shakespeare sucks. Ooh. Edgy. You can't back it up, but it makes ya look all rebel-y. You go, you raging iconoclast, you. *yawn*

Thing is, I always find him in science fiction sections, but anything in his books which could be considered 'science fiction' is not really, it's basically a warping of the modern world. It's not futuristic in any sense, just a new way of looking at everything around us. And, no, I haven't read [I]all[I]of his stuff, so correct me if anyone's read any straight out future stuff by the guy.