Burroughs, William S. - Jennie Skerl (essay date 1991)
Jennie Skerl (essay date 1991)
SOURCE: Skerl, Jennie. “A Mythology for the Space Age.” In William S. Burroughs at the Front: Critical Reception, 1959-1989, pp. 48-74. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1991.
[In the following essay, Skerl discusses common elements in Burroughs's novels from Junkie to Nova Express.]
In the writing of Naked Lunch, Burroughs discovered the style that best conveyed his vision, and its publication released a great deal of creative energy. In quick succession thereafter, Burroughs produced three important novels: The Soft Machine, The Ticket That Exploded, and Nova Express (published in 1961, 1962, and 1964, respectively).1 All three of these works were drawn from the same mass of notes that was the source of Naked Lunch,2 and they continue to develop the themes and techniques of that seminal book.
But although the three...
[The entire page is 12995 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
