Jailbird Summary
Kurt Vonnegut

Everything you need to understand or teach Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.

Jailbird Summary & Study Guide
3 Literature Criticisms
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30 Jailbird Lessons
20 Activities
180 Multiple Choice Questions
60 Short Essay Questions
20 Essay Questions
Pre-Made Tests and Quizzes
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Jailbird Summary

This thematically and narratively complex book tells the life story of Walter Starbuck, ex-socialist, ex-capitalist, and ex-con. Moving fluidly back and forth between past and present, incident and insight, irony and irony, the novel explores themes relating to the tension between capitalism and communism, layers of meaning inherent in layers of identity, fact, and fiction, and the interconnectedness of all things.

The novel begins with a lengthy prologue written in the...

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The Jailbird Study Pack contains:

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Kurt Vonnegut Biographies (7)

Kurt Vonnegut

4,870 words, approx. 17 pages

Described as "a word cartoonist, a wise guy, a true subversive," by Valerie Sayers in the New York Times, Kurt Vonnegut is lauded as one of America's most respected novelists, "recognized as a thought... Read more

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

1,352 words, approx. 5 pages

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (born 1922) is acknowledged as a major voice in American literature and applauded for his pungent satirical depictions of modern society. Emphasizing the comic absurdity of the huma... Read more

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

7,727 words, approx. 26 pages

As of 1977, Vonnegut's work includes eight novels, a play and a television play, two collections of short stories, a collection of essays, and a number of uncollected shorter pieces of fiction and non... Read more

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

4,032 words, approx. 14 pages

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., remains something of a paradox among science-fiction writers. Although his place of importance in serious American fiction is now secure, his relationship to the genre that nurture... Read more

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

16,743 words, approx. 56 pages

[This entry was updated by Peter J. Reed (University of Minnesota) from his entry in DLB 152: American Novelists Since World War II, Fourth Series.]Though Kurt Vonnegut had been a widely read short-st... Read more

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

14,456 words, approx. 49 pages

Biography EssayAs of 1987 Kurt Vonnegut's work includes twelve novels, a play and a television play, two collections of short stories, two collections of essays, and a miscellany of uncollected shorte... Read more

Kurt Vonnegut

8,346 words, approx. 28 pages

"I got to be a joke-maker as the youngest member of my family. My sister was five years older than I was, my brother was nine years older, and at the dinner table I was the lowest ranking thing there.... Read more