Welcome to the Monkey House
New York: Delta, 1998.
331 pages
ISBN:
0-385-33350-1
Summary: This collection by Vonnegut of 25 inventive
short stories reflects on the perils of living in a futuristic society:
overpopulation (Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and
Tomorrow), post-war relationships (Long
Walk to Forever), ethical dilemmas (Welcome
to the Monkey House), female stereotypes (Miss Temptation), censorship (Harrison
Bergeron), and forgotten youth (The
Kid Nobody Could Handle).
Genre: Short
Story/Science Fiction/Literary Fiction
Characteristics:
This book of short stories “explores moral, social,
intellectual, philosophical, and ethical questions outside of everyday reality”
which is often represented in the Science Fiction genre (Saricks, 2009, 245). Vonnegut
provides a “wide range of tone/mood from dark to comic” (245). I would also
consider the book to be Literary Fiction since the plot is character-driven and
the storylines include universal social issues and have multiple meanings
(178). With these stories Vonnegut shows that humanity exists in bleak environments;
by being written in a conversational and lyrical format as well as expressing various
viewpoints this author is able to connect to many readers.
Appeals
- Vonnegut’s literary success and an award winning author
- Fans of Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction genres
- Short stories with a dark, satirical tone
Read-a-Likes:
Novelist:
- War Fever by J.G. Ballard
- A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K. Dick
- The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula LeGuin
- Futureland by Walter Mosley
- Tenth of December by George Saunders
References
Saricks, J.G. (2009). The
readers’ advisory guide to genre fiction. 2nd ed. Chicago:
American Library Association.
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