Kurt Vonnegut's short story "Report on the Barnhouse Effect" is an example of postmodernism because of the use of irony on a serious topic.
He expresses his feelings about the war with his personal experience. His reaction to the war, bombings and the ills of scientific advancement brought distress in his life. He accepted the deaths as the result of the war in a very casual manner. Throughout the stories, he uses irony and sarcasm to bring the effects of the war in a different look. Using irony and sarcasm to describe serious topics like war and destruction is one of the characteristics of postmodern literature.