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A Clockwork Orange (novel) > Wiki
I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language as Mr. Burgess has done here-the fact that this is also a very funny book may pass unnoticed. --William S. Burroughs
Novel by Anthony Burgess, published in 1962. Set in a dismal dystopia, it is the first-person account of a juvenile delinquent who undergoes state-sponsored psychological rehabilitation for his aberrant behavior. The novel satirizes extreme political systems that are based on opposing models of the perfectibility or incorrigibility of humanity. Written in a futuristic slang vocabulary invented by Burgess, in part by adaptation of Russian words, it was his most original and best-known work. Alex, the protagonist, has a passion for classical music and is a member of a vicious teenage gang that commits random acts of brutality. Captured and imprisoned, he is transformed through behavioral conditioning into a model citizen, but his taming also leaves him defenseless. He ultimately reverts to his former behavior. The final chapter of the original British edition, in which Alex renounces his amoral past, was removed when the novel was first published in the United States. --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature--This text refers to an alternatePaperbackedition.
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Novel by Anthony Burgess, published in 1962. Set in a dismal dystopia, it is the first-person account of a juvenile delinquent who undergoes state-sponsored psychological rehabilitation for his aberrant behavior. The novel satirizes extreme political systems that are based on opposing models of the perfectibility or incorrigibility of humanity. Written in a futuristic slang vocabulary invented by Burgess, in part by adaptation of Russian words, it was his most original and best-known work. Alex, the protagonist, has a passion for classical music and is a member of a vicious teenage gang that commits random acts of brutality. Captured and imprisoned, he is transformed through behavioral conditioning into a model citizen, but his taming also leaves him defenseless. He ultimately reverts to his former behavior. The final chapter of the original British edition, in which Alex renounces his amoral past, was removed when the novel was first published in the United States. --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature--This text refers to an alternatePaperbackedition.
More A Clockwork Orange (novel) reviews
"A Clockwork Orange" is a novel by Anthony Burgess, and it is one of the most famous works of dystopian fiction. It has been made particularly famous by Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation, and both the film and the book are routinely ranked in various surveys amongst the most significant works in their corresponding genres. One of the main idiosyncrasies of the book is the use of an invented teenage slang (or more specifically "argot") called Nadsat. Burgess was a polyglot, … more
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Compliments (12)
Has everything I want in a book. A contained universe that is fully realized, brilliant writing, social satire, and a confusingly sympathetic main character. Check out the Kubrick flick if you haven't yet.
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Prepare yourself for a brainwash. The worst punishment of your phisical sins is inside your mind, inside your soul.
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Watch the movie and then read this book and see how they compare.
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One of the most twisted books I have ever read. I love the characters and the psychology behind it. I love the twist at the end most of all.
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Very difficult read, but keep slogging through. The slang Russian/Cockney gets easier to understand as you go. Disturbing, at the least!
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MAN! What a great novel!
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As though-provoking as they come
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One of my favourite books.
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Quick Tip by sunshineliz.
June 19, 2010
According to Burgess, this was not one of his favorite books that he wrote. Ah well, I still like it.
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