William S. Burroughs Criticism
William S. Burroughs (1914–1997) stands as a central figure in 20th-century American literature, renowned for his groundbreaking work that challenged conventional narrative forms and explored themes of addiction, control, and liberation. A key member of the Beat Movement alongside Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, Burroughs is perhaps best known for his novel Naked Lunch, which ignited controversy due to its explicit content and faced an obscenity trial upon publication in 1959. As discussed in Critical Approaches to William Burroughs, or How to Admit an Admiration for a Good Book, this work is both a satire of American societal norms and an experimental assault on language as a tool of control.
Burroughs's literary repertoire extends beyond Naked Lunch to include other significant works like Junkie, The Soft Machine, and Nova Express, where he further delves into his concerns with human potential and the metaphors of addiction and power. A Mythology for the Space Age explores how these themes reflect Burroughs's views on the constraints imposed by societal structures.
Burroughs was innovative in his use of techniques such as the "cut-up" method, which he employed to disrupt traditional narratives and create new meanings. These deconstructive techniques, as explained in Sound Identity Fading Out: William Burroughs's Tape Experiments, were designed to free language from its conventional confines, embodying Burroughs's vision of artistic and personal liberation.
Despite the controversial nature of his work, Burroughs's influence is far-reaching, impacting the hippie and punk movements and significantly contributing to the evolution of gay literature. His exploration of systems of control and resistance is further examined in The Gnostic Vision of William S. Burroughs, where these themes are seen resonating with Gnostic thought. Furthermore, critics like Brent Wood place Burroughs as a precursor to cyberpunk fiction through his innovative narrative style.
Burroughs's later years saw him expand into visual art and screenwriting, reinforcing his status as a cultural icon. His enduring impact on narrative and cultural critique is discussed in pieces such as Narrative after Deconstruction. His collaborations with Brion Gysin in works like "The Third Mind" reflect a Whitman-esque revolution, as interpreted by Harold Beaver, seeking to dismantle conventional constructs and expand consciousness.
While Naked Lunch remains his most celebrated text, subsequent works like Cities of the Red Night and Port of Saints have been critiqued for their chaotic narrative style, as noted by Alvin J. Seltzer and others. Despite mixed critical reception, Burroughs's body of work continues to provoke discussion and analysis for its daring exploration of novelistic expression and cultural critique.
Contents
- Principal Works
- Burroughs, William
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Burroughs, William S(eward) (Vol. 15)
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William S. Burroughs
(summary)
In the following essay, John Vernon examines the schizophrenic nature of reality in William S. Burroughs's work, emphasizing the dichotomy between mechanical and organic structures, the theme of control, and the cutup method that deconstructs the narrative to underscore the chaotic fragmentation of contemporary culture.
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The Science-Fiction of William Burroughs
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In the following essay, Gérard Cordesse explores how William S. Burroughs uses science fiction and other literary techniques to convey themes of addiction, control, and liberation, arguing that Burroughs' works, such as "The Wild Boys" and "Nova Express," employ these elements to project alternative visions and explore personal and societal transformations.
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The Quest and the Question: Cosmology and Myth in the Work of William S. Burroughs, 1953–1960
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In the following essay, William L. Stull examines Burroughs' early works, emphasizing the transformation of "junk" from a literal addiction into a cosmic metaphor, and highlights the quest for anarchic individualism and the critique of control systems, culminating in a complex cosmology of good and evil.
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Dismantling the System
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In the following essay, Harold Beaver examines William S. Burroughs's and Brion Gysin's work in "The Third Mind" and "Ah Pook Is Here," highlighting their efforts to expand consciousness, deconstruct verbal structures using Dadaist methods, and blend literary with political revolution, echoing a Whitman-like extension of democracy into diverse realms.
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William S. Burroughs
(summary)
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Burroughs, William S. (Contemporary Literary Criticism)
- Obituaries
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Overview
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Critical Approaches to William Burroughs, or How to Admit an Admiration for a Good Dirty Book
(summary)
In the following essay, which originally appeared in 1980 in Occidem, Parkinson approaches Naked Lunch as continuing the 'peculiar American tradition of hilarity' in literature.
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The Gnostic Vision of William S. Burroughs
(summary)
In the following essay, Stephenson discusses Burroughs's middle and late works in the context of Gnostic thought, focusing principally on the themes of The Soft Machine. He finds significant parallels and points of contact between Burroughs' writing and Gnostic thought, providing a framework to clarify aspects of his work.
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Narrative after Deconstruction: Structure and the Negative Poetics of William S. Burroughs's Cities of the Red Night
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In the following essay, Punday analyzes the meaning of the narrative structure of Cities of the Red Night based on linguist A. J. Greimas' theoretical construction of the semiotic square.
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William S. Burroughs and the Language of Cyberpunk
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In the following essay, Wood explains the connection between Burroughs's works and cyberpunk writing. The work of William S. Burroughs has often been credited as a primary influence on cyberpunk writing. The connection between the two, however, is more often cited than explained. Burroughs' 'science-fiction' work was more experimental poetry than conventional science fiction, and had already come in and out of style by the time science fiction became theory-worthy. Wood argues for the inclusion of William S. Burroughs as a diner at the sf theory dinner-party, especially to hear his theories of poetic action in a world where science fiction has become reality.
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Trafficking in the Void: Burroughs, Kerouac, and the Consumption of Otherness
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In the following essay, Eburne examines the influence of the Cold War-era ideological construct of 'otherness' in Naked Lunch and in Jack Kerouac's The Subterraneans, comparing its effect on the subjectivity of each novel.
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Critical Approaches to William Burroughs, or How to Admit an Admiration for a Good Dirty Book
(summary)
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Reviews Of Burroughs's Recent Works
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The Bare Facts
(summary)
In the following review of the first volume of The Letters of William S. Burroughs, Campbell gleans the "facts" of Burroughs's early writing career from his correspondence, observing its relation to specific works and other Beat writers.
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Dispatches from the Interzone
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In the following review, Cohen detects an "autumnal, elegiac" tone in the imagery of My Education.
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Dream Control
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In the following review, Weissman assesses the dream-like aspects of My Education.
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The Bare Facts
(summary)
- Burroughs, William S(eward) (Vol. 5)
- Burroughs, William S(eward) (Vol. 2)
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Burroughs, William S(eward) (Vol. 22)
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'Confusion Hath Fuck His Masterpiece': The Random Art of William S. Burroughs
(summary)
In the following essay, Alvin J. Seltzer examines the chaotic and fragmented narrative style of William S. Burroughs, particularly in Naked Lunch, arguing that while Burroughs' techniques initially expanded the novel's capacity for multilevel communication, his later works became repetitive and less impactful, ultimately sacrificing coherence for artistic chaos.
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Books in Brief: 'Junky'
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In the following essay, R.H.W. Dillard argues that Junky by William S. Burroughs holds significant historical and literary value, capturing the dual nature of the Eisenhower era with its detached, amoral prose and providing a powerful vision unmatched even by Burroughs' later works.
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Dark Smile, Devilish Saints
(summary)
In the following essay, John Updike critiques William S. Burroughs's novel "Port of Saints" as a sinister, fragmented work that combines elements of personal melancholy and surreal destruction, ultimately portraying Burroughs as a complex writer whose chaotic narrative style obscures his deeper philosophical intentions.
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Pleasures of Hanging
(summary)
In the following essay, Thomas M. Disch critiques William S. Burroughs's "Cities of the Red Night" as a monotonous and macabre exploration of death by hanging, lacking the wit and stylistic grace of his earlier work, and suggests it pales in comparison to "Naked Lunch."
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Almost Caricature
(summary)
In the following essay, James Campbell critiques William S. Burroughs's novel Cities of the Red Night for its use of caricature and fantastical elements, noting the novel's straightforward language compared to Burroughs's previous works, while questioning the ethical implications of its graphic themes and characterization.
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English: 'Port of Saints'
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In the following essay, M. J. LaHood critiques William S. Burroughs's "Port of Saints" as a flawed exploration of human consciousness, arguing that its nearly psychotic perspective limits its literary significance and fails to resonate with a broader audience, thereby questioning its value as more than minor literature.
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No Jokes
(summary)
In the following essay, Paul Ableman critiques William Burroughs's Cities of the Red Night as lacking the coherence, vitality, and humor of The Naked Lunch, arguing that the novel's disjointed structure and repetitive themes result in a disappointing work driven by authorial will rather than imaginative necessity.
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Idiot Mambo
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert Taubman critiques William S. Burroughs's works, particularly The Naked Lunch and Cities of the Red Night, arguing that Burroughs's claims of promoting enlightened intentions are undermined by the pessimistic and repetitive imagery, revealing a deeper sense of futility and disillusionment in his narratives.
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'Cities of the Red Night'
(summary)
In the following essay, John Tytell analyzes William S. Burroughs's novel Cities of the Red Night, highlighting its mythic imagination and fragmented narrative style, while acknowledging its return to Burroughs's characteristic dissonance and lyrical imagery, though it does not surpass the innovative impact of Naked Lunch.
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'Confusion Hath Fuck His Masterpiece': The Random Art of William S. Burroughs
(summary)
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Burroughs, William S. (Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism)
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Critical Approaches to William Burroughs, or How to Admit an Admiration for a Good Book
(summary)
In the following essay, Parkinson provides an appreciation of Naked Lunch.
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Listening to Burroughs's Voice
(summary)
In the following essay, Oxenhandler examines Burroughs's poetic voice.
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A Mythology for the Space Age
(summary)
In the following essay, Skerl discusses common elements in Burroughs's novels from Junkie to Nova Express.
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Sound Identity Fading Out: William Burroughs's Tape Experiments
(summary)
In the following essay, Lydenberg analyzes Burroughs's literary voice as it is expressed on his experimental tape recordings.
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Two Lessons from Burroughs
(summary)
In the following essay, Shaviro explores Burroughs's place in the “landscape of postmodern biology.”
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The Sordid Sublime: Burroughs's Naked Lunch
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In the following essay, Ahearn places Burroughs in the tradition of apocalyptic writing that includes William Blake and Lautréamont.
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Fatal West: W. S. Burroughs's Perverse Destiny
(summary)
In the following essay, Foster examines Burroughs's rejection of the values of Western civilization.
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No Final Glossary: Fugitive Words in Junky and Queer
(summary)
In the following essay, Murphy argues that Queer and Junky contain no “abstract structure of rules,” such as linguistic rules, and that the only approach to understanding these texts is by following their textual “cartography.”
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Critical Approaches to William Burroughs, or How to Admit an Admiration for a Good Book
(summary)
- Further Reading