Anthony Burgess Criticism
Anthony Burgess, born John Anthony Burgess Wilson, was an English writer whose extensive body of work spans novels, essays, translations, and musical compositions. A distinctive feature of his work is the integration of his deep knowledge in music and linguistics, which is particularly evident in his most celebrated novel, A Clockwork Orange (1962). This novel is renowned for its provocative examination of free will and state control, presented through a unique narrative style that features "nadsat," an invented language combining English and Russian slang. This linguistic creativity is praised by critics like those in Horrorshow on Amis Avenue and The Novels of Anthony Burgess.
Burgess's exploration of themes such as free will, determinism, and moral choice reflects his "renegade Catholic" persona and is evident in many of his works. A Clockwork Orange particularly grapples with these themes by depicting the ethical implications of state-imposed behavioral modification versus individual moral choice. Ethical Values in Anthony Burgess's Clockwork Orange offers a thorough analysis of these issues. The novel's structure, including the controversial twenty-first chapter, which was omitted in early American versions, further complicates its themes, as discussed in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange: Two Versions and Optimism in Burgess's A Clockwork Orange.
Burgess's works are often perceived as critiques of philosophical extremes, with Linguistics, Mechanics, and Metaphysics exploring his broader philosophical inquiries. His fascination with language and narrative innovation extends beyond A Clockwork Orange to novels like Earthly Powers and ABBA ABBA, where he blends historical and fictional elements as noted by Junkets and The Thing's the Thing. His work often draws comparisons to James Joyce, whose influence is acknowledged by Burgess himself in Here Comes Everybody: An Introduction to James Joyce for the Ordinary Reader.
While Burgess received acclaim for his linguistic creativity and thematic depth, his novels were not without criticism. David Rieff and Richard Kuczkowski critiqued 1985 for its lack of political insight compared to Orwell’s 1984. Similarly, Benjamin DeMott noted the superficial style of Man of Nazareth. Despite these criticisms, Burgess's contribution to literature is marked by his comic artistry and narrative complexity, with critics like Geoffrey Aggeler and Richard Mathews acknowledging his use of mythological and historical motifs. Through his multifaceted oeuvre, Anthony Burgess continues to engage readers with his innovative exploration of language, narrative, and philosophical themes.
Contents
- Principal Works
- Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 2)
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Burgess (Wilson), (John) Anthony
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The Comic Art of Anthony Burgess
(summary)
In the following essay, Geoffrey Aggeler examines the comic artistry of Anthony Burgess, arguing that his novels, influenced by James Joyce, employ language as a vehicle for comedy, blend satire with linguistic innovation, and display a mastery of various literary styles, while exploring themes of human fallibility and societal critique.
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The Goddess Speaks with a Greek Accent
(summary)
In the following essay, L. J. Davis critiques Anthony Burgess's novel The Eve of Saint Venus, arguing that while the book effectively parodies British drama and explores themes of English cultural identity, its hurried execution leaves it lacking in the exploration of its potentially rich ideas and myths.
- David Daiches
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Richard Mathews
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard Mathews analyzes Anthony Burgess's use of mythological and historical motifs, highlighting his exploration of themes such as identity, time, and moral choice through works like "A Vision of Battlements," the Malayan Trilogy, and "A Clockwork Orange," noting his stylistic evolution and experimentation across these narratives.
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Lost Empire
(summary)
In the following essay, D. J. Enright critiques Anthony Burgess's "Earthly Powers" for its intellectual density, theological and linguistic excesses, and its complex portrayal of homosexuality, while acknowledging the novel's substantial intellectual and humorous qualities despite its potentially overwhelming style and the challenge it presents to the reader's attention and credence.
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The Knowledge of Good and Evil
(summary)
In the following essay, Jeremy Treglown examines Earthly Powers as a complex and ambitious novel by Anthony Burgess that intertwines fiction with reality through a kaleidoscopic narrative, exploring themes of creativity, sexuality, and the artist's role in society, ultimately portraying it as a gripping and richly rewarding read.
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Books of the Times: 'Earthly Powers'
(summary)
In the following essay, John Leonard contends that Anthony Burgess's novel "Earthly Powers" is both a return to form and a complex meditation on the nature of evil, memory, and the traditional versus postmodern novel, achieved through a richly detailed narrative and a blend of literary influences.
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The Prince of Darkness Is Pope
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Towers critiques Anthony Burgess's novel Earthly Powers as a sensationalist work with a vast array of historical events and theological themes, arguing that despite Burgess's linguistic prowess and entertainment value, the novel ultimately suffers from sensationalism, lack of depth in character emotions, and excessive narrative sprawl.
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Games Writers Play
(summary)
In the following essay, Pearl K. Bell critiques Anthony Burgess's work, highlighting his linguistic virtuosity and satirical prowess, particularly in A Clockwork Orange, while criticizing the lack of coherence and depth in Earthly Powers, which she sees as marred by exhibitionism and a disjointed fusion of serious moral themes and superficial spectacle.
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Scroll & Keys
(summary)
In the following essay, George Steiner provides a comprehensive analysis of Anthony Burgess's literary oeuvre, highlighting his novels' thematic richness, intellectual rigor, and stylistic complexity, particularly focusing on "Earthly Powers" as a monumental work of imaginative breadth that challenges readers with its intricate narrative and profound reflections on political, religious, and sexual themes.
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The Comic Art of Anthony Burgess
(summary)
- Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 1)
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Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 15)
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Junkets
(summary)
In the following essay, Enright analyzes Anthony Burgess's ABBA ABBA, highlighting its complex narrative style and wordplay as it intertwines the fictional with the historical, and explores themes through the figures of Keats and Belli, while discerning Burgess's unique literary signature within the novel.
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The Thing's the Thing
(summary)
In the following essay, Edwin Morgan discusses Anthony Burgess's "Abba Abba" as a thought-provoking work that explores speculative historical fiction through an imagined meeting between John Keats and Giuseppe Belli, emphasizing ideas over character development and highlighting Burgess's inventive use of poetic form and dialect in translation.
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'A Clockwork Orange': Awareness Is All
(summary)
In the following essay, John W. Tilton argues that the complete version of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, including its final chapter, offers a richer understanding of the novel's themes of free will and the inherent nature of evil, suggesting that Alex's narrative reveals profound insights into human violence and creativity.
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Junkets
(summary)
- Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 8)
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Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 13)
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Pelagius and Augustine in the Novels of Anthony Burgess
(summary)
In the following essay, Geoffrey Aggeler examines how Anthony Burgess's novels explore the philosophical extremes of Pelagianism and Augustinianism, arguing that Burgess critiques both views for their reductive analyses of human nature and their implications for social and political systems, ultimately advocating for a more individualized understanding of humanity.
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Future Shock
(summary)
In the following essay, David Rieff criticizes Anthony Burgess for failing to harness his literary talents into producing a major work, arguing that Burgess's novel 1985 inadequately addresses Orwell’s themes from 1984 due to Burgess's lack of political insight and reliance on cleverness over substantial engagement.
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Burgessian Utopia
(summary)
In the following essay, Richard Kuczkowski critiques Anthony Burgess's novella 1985 as a pessimistic and pedantic work, arguing that it serves more as an extension of Burgess's conservative Christian humanist essays rather than a compelling piece of fiction, ultimately trivializing his potential by delivering a repetitive and unconvincing narrative.
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A Fictional Self
(summary)
In the following essay, Paul Lukacs criticizes Anthony Burgess for failing to substantiate his thesis that Hemingway was a self-created legend, arguing that Burgess inadequately separates the man from his myth and neglects to explore the true complexities of Hemingway's character and literary achievements.
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According to Burgess
(summary)
In the following essay, Benjamin DeMott critiques Anthony Burgess's "Man of Nazareth," arguing that while the novel contains imaginative elements, it ultimately fails to impart the intellectual depth and transformative potential of Jesus's teachings, relying instead on a superficial, colloquial style that misses opportunities for serious engagement with the material.
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Does '1985' Follow '1984'?
(summary)
In the following essay, S. J. Edelheit argues that Anthony Burgess's novel 1985 is an inferior attempt to engage with the themes of Orwell's 1984, criticizing its lack of coherent political insight and its failure to meaningfully develop the ideas it purports to explore.
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Pelagius and Augustine in the Novels of Anthony Burgess
(summary)
- Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 4)
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Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 10)
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Anthony Burgess: Double Vision
(summary)
In the following essay, Jean E. Kennard argues that Anthony Burgess's novels employ fantasy to explore metaphysical questions of identity, language, and reality, presenting dualities such as good versus evil and life versus non-life, while challenging post-existential notions by suggesting a structured universe influenced by Catholic themes.
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Love's Labor's Lost: Sex and Art in Two Novels by Anthony Burgess
(summary)
In the following essay, Firestone examines how Anthony Burgess's novels "Nothing Like the Sun" and "A Vision of Battlements" explore the themes of conflict and synthesis, particularly through the interplay of sexual and artistic impulses, revealing sexual love as ultimately destructive while art becomes the true medium for unity and creation.
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Robert Martin Adams
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Martin Adams argues that Anthony Burgess employs a harmonic and impressionistic use of language, akin to Joyce, which enhances the thematic complexity and tonal unity of works like A Clockwork Orange and Tremor of Intent, while often eschewing conventional morality for aesthetic and narrative effects.
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Anthony Burgess: Double Vision
(summary)
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Burgess, Anthony (Vol. 94)
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Horrorshow on Amis Avenue
(summary)
In the following positive review, he lauds A Clockwork Orange as a brilliant mixture of horror and farce, calling Burgess's use of language an "extraordinary technical feat."
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Anthony Burgess' Clockwork Oranges
(summary)
In the following positive review, he praises Burgess as a satirist and calls A Clockwork Orange "an eloquent and shocking novel that is quite unique."
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The Novels of Anthony Burgess
(summary)
In the following excerpt, he discusses the effect of Burgess's invented language, 'nadsat,' on the violent content of A Clockwork Orange.
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The Bitter Fruits of Freedom
(summary)
Morris compares the structure and philosophic themes of Burgess's dystopian novels, A Clockwork Orange and The Wanting Seed, exploring the impact of colonialism and the stagnation of society on individual existence and the role of the novelist.
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Nadsat: The Argot and Its Implications in Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following essay, he discusses the use of the 'nadsat' slang in A Clockwork Orange, and its effect upon the novel as a dystopian vision.
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England, Education, and the Future
(summary)
In the following excerpt, he interprets A Clockwork Orange as a black comedy which illustrates the "horror of life without choice."
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Clockwork Marmalade
(summary)
In the following essay, Burgess discusses the violence in A Clockwork Orange and reacts to criticism that both the novel and Stanley Kubrick's 1972 film version of it are gratuitous in their depictions of such content.
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An interview with Anthony Burgess
(summary)
In the following interview with Carol Dix, Anthony Burgess critiques the film adaptation of his novel A Clockwork Orange by Stanley Kubrick, discusses the novel's themes of state control and violence, and reflects on the novel's reception and his perception of English society as anti-intellectual.
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Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange: Two Versions
(summary)
In the following essay, Cullinan discusses the effect of the final, twenty-first, chapter of A Clockwork Orange, which was left out of the original American editions.
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Optimism in Burgess's A Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following essay, Connelly argues that the untruncated version of A Clockwork Orange is a story of 'life's movement, of growing up and of renewal.'
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Novel into Film; Novelist into Critic: A Clockwork Orange … Again
(summary)
In the following essay, he argues against interpreting A Clockwork Orange as a didactic novel concerning free will, taking issue specifically with Burgess's stated intentions for the book. He also notes some of the significant differences between the novel and the film.
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Linguistics, Mechanics, and Metaphysics: Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange (1962)
(summary)
In the following essay, originally published in 1976, Petix discusses the philosophical underpinnings of Burgess's fiction and examines the ways in which they are manifested in A Clockwork Orange.
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Pronominalization in A Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following essay, Carson argues that pronoun usage in A Clockwork Orange is indicative of the power relationships between Alex and the other characters.
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Mechanism vs. Organism: Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following essay, he argues that the twenty-first chapter of A Clockwork Orange reveals a thematic synthesis of free will and determinism.
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Ethical Values in Anthony Burgess's Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following essay, Rabinovitz comments on Burgess's presentation in A Clockwork Orange of the notion of 'social history as a cyclical alternation' of diametrically opposed views of human nature and morality.
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Alex Before and After: A New Approach to Burgess' A Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following essay, Ray argues that the structure of A Clockwork Orange reflects the theme of inevitable human growth.
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Freedom and Art in A Clockwork Orange: Anthony Burgess and the Christian Premises of Dostoevsky
(summary)
In the following essay, Bowie compares the thematic treatment of freedom and beauty in A Clockwork Orange and in works by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
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Introduction: A Clockwork Orange Resucked
(summary)
In the following essay, which appeared as an introduction to the first publication of the last chapter of A Clockwork Orange in America, Burgess discusses the publication history of the twenty-first chapter and how its inclusion changes the meaning of the novel.
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Alex on Today's Youth: Creeching Golosses and Filthy Toofles!
(summary)
In the following essay, which takes the form of an interview conducted by Burgess with Alex, the main character of A Clockwork Orange, Burgess examines Alex's personality by having him critique contemporary youth culture.
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Beethovenian Overlays by Carpentier and Burgess: The Ninth in Grotesque Juxtapositions
(summary)
In the following excerpt, he argues that the use of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in A Clockwork Orange is arbitrary and inappropriate, "overlay[ing] with negative associations one of the supreme compositions in the musical repertory."
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Dystopias and Cacotopias
(summary)
Stinson is an educator and critic specializing in modern British literature who has spent many years studying the work of Burgess. In the following excerpt, he discusses themes and stylistic aspects of A Clockwork Orange, and comments on the history of the major critical issues involved with the novel.
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'What's It Going to Be Then, Eh?': The Stage Odyssey of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following essay, Hutchings discusses the stage adaptations of A Clockwork Orange, focusing on the two written by Burgess.
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Women In Dystopia: Misogyny in Brave New World, 1984, and A Clockwork Orange
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Madden discusses elements of misogyny in A Clockwork Orange, highlighting the patriarchal culture in which women are subordinated and perceived through the male gaze, particularly that of the protagonist, Alex.
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Horrorshow on Amis Avenue
(summary)
- Further Reading