Evolutionary Mythology in the Writings of Kurt Vonnegut: Charles Darwin’s Theory and Kurt Vonnegut’s Portrayal of American Life and Culture

Historically, an investigation into the impact of science and technology on society is nothing new to the area of literature; in fact it has been done for centuries. However, this book is relevant in its attempt to understand, in Vonnegut’s novels, how Darwin’s theory of evolution functions as a cosmogonic myth that is widely accepted in order to explain why the world is as it is and why things happen as they do, to provide a rationale for social customs and observances, and to establish the sanctions for the rules by which Vonnegut’s characters conduct their lives. Moreover, this book deals with how and why Kurt Vonnegut’s fiction represents the changing human image resulting from Darwinism. By Darwinism, I mean Darwin’s theory of evolution, applied to a social context and therefore applicable to human beings. My theoretical approach will be based primarily on ideas from myth criticism and complemented by treatises on evolution.