| Kurt Vonnegut(1922-2007) is an influential black humor writer in modern literary world of America. His novel Slaughterhouse-Five achieves widely critical acclaim. Aesthetics of reception researches the meaning blanks and the historicity of interpretation, which demonstrates the value of the readers'activities in achieving the meaning of the text. Black humor bridges the author's creation and the readers'aesthetic experience. It guides the readers to fill the meaning blanks via the absurd"time travel", seemingly mild irony, the characterization of the silly anti-heroes and the intentional omission of the atrocious war scenes. The historicity of the text contributes to the exploration of serious themes, helping the readers get close to the historical authenticity. Furthermore, the readers follow the time travel of Billy to perceive the psychological authenticity of the war traumas.This thesis combines such relevant theories as black humor and aesthetics of reception, and analyzes Vonnegut's aesthetic psychology in using black humor as his technique and its aesthetic effect upon readers. The author aims to provide a new perspective and make a further exploration into the rich connotation and artistic value of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five on the basis of the achievements of the predecessors. |
PDF Full Text Request