partly_warmer I was trying to answer the question as to whether Vonnegut was manic-depressive in real life. I mentioned nothing about his metal state having any bearing on the worth of his novels.
I grew up reading Vonnegut as it was published and he was certainly one of my 3 favorite authors at the time. He made observations on human foibles which I thought and still think quite original. I can see where readers who are currently in their teens and twenties might not appreciate him.
I recall a large message of Slaughterhouse 5 being that you have to accept life (mostly the past) for what it is. Hence, you shouldn’t feel bound by where your life’s been, but to enjoy the ride as you go along.
As I recall, “poo tee wheet” is supposed to roughly translate as “what the hell” (as in, “who cares?”).
Sorry, samclem, I wasn’t considering the whole OP.
I read every Vonnegut novel way back when. He certainly set wheels in motion for me. I spent long hours considering his notion of “equalizing” ballerinas to not have any special advantages over anyone else by putting bags over their heads, and weighing them down with concrete. Still not sure I have answers.
Here’s a cite about the NET Playhouse production of “Between Time and Timbuktu”. The ballerina scene is permanently etched in my memory. http://www.duke.edu/~crh4/vonnegut/btt.html