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A review of A Clockwork Orange

by Anthony Burgess

The confessions of a 15-year old delinquent, Burgess' controversial horror/ social prophecy/ study of human choice.

Reviewed by: Guy Brandon
About Guy Brandon

A Clockwork Orange "A Clockwork Orange" is Burgess' most original and infamous novel, and deserves to be read alongside such classics as 1984 and Brave New World. Set in a bleak futuristic dystopia, it is the first-person account of 15-year old Alex's delinquent excesses, for which he is eventually apprehended and punished. Imprisoned for his horrible crimes, Alex is offered reprieve if he will submit to an experimental new technique designed to deprogram him of his criminal tendencies. He agrees, but without fully realising the implications of the treatment.

The book contains material that many readers will find offensive and disturbing. It has, however, been widely misunderstood, especially after Kubrick's film adaptation (the film itself was banned by Kubrick after stories in the British press linked it to "copycat" killings. It was unavailable throughout most of the 70's, 80's and 90's, eventually being reissued after his death). Not simply a lurid horror novel, it is a penetrating analysis of human nature, our choices between good and evil, and what it means to have free will. No one character in the book is entirely good or bad, only human.

After the Ludovico technique has left him helpless, Alex is used as a pawn by two opposing political parties to further their own interests. Realising that his freedom will serve their purposes best, the first is quick to see him compensated for the inconvenience they have caused. The satire is complete when the government is finally left combating the problem it created, using ever worse crimes to do so. This theme of hypocrisy is found in every character that offers him help, right down to the prison chaplain; Alex, of course, maintains that he has always been the victim.

A Clockwork Orange is written in "Nadsat", the teenage slang that the narrator and his peers use. "Odd bits of rhyming slang . a bit of gypsy talk too. But most of the roots are Slav. Propaganda". The author skilfully anglicises the Russian, brilliantly nuancing the words in Alex's mouth: "khorosho" (good) has been adapted as "horrorshow", "iudi" (people) as "lewdies", and so on. This linguistic innovation was possibly Burgess' greatest stroke of genius, and one used to great effect throughout the book. Written in cyclical form, Clockwork Orange has three parts of seven chapters each, dealing with Alex's crime spree, his detention and "cure", and its aftermath. The recurrence of themes and language in these parts ingeniously reinforces the plot and author's ideas. Writing in the first-person also gives a sense of immediacy and reality to his story, which is presented with great pace and energy right to the end.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: A Clockwork Orange

Copyright © by Guy Brandon, 2002

Reviewed by Guy Brandon:
-- Koba the Dread - by Martin Amis
-- The Eagle's Shadow - by Mark Hertsgaard
-- Human Instinct - How our primeval impulses shape our modern lives - by Robert Winston
-- Hannibal - by Thomas Harris
-- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
-- A Clockwork Orange - by Anthony Burgess
-- 2001: A Space Odyssey - by Arthur C. Clarke
-- Color: Stories from the Paintbox - by Victoria Finlay
-- Arcadia - by Tom Stoppard
-- Angry White Pyjamas - by Robert Twigger
-- Lord of the Rings - by J. R. R. Tolkien
-- The Matrix and Philosophy - by William Irwin









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