Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

This is the thread for all the interesting information you find and are willing to share about the author and the book.

I know a fair bit about this topic and this author. One of the most disturbing works post WW-II.

"Weak tea are we,
new brewed;
We eat no angel's food,
And our times of trial are long."

Does anyone know much about the differing endings for the US version vs UK version, as referenced in this Goodreads review:

(snip ... )

Yet it does not glorify violence, nor is it a book about violence per se. Rather it’s an exploration of the morality of free will. Of whether it is better to choose to be bad than to be conditioned to be good. Of alienation and how to deal with the excesses to which such alienation may lead. And ultimately, of one man’s decision to say goodbye to all that. (At least in the UK version. The American version, on which Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation was based, ends on a less optimistic note.) In short, it’s a novella of ideas which just happens to contain a fair bit of violence...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'd like the more optimistic version, I think :/

Censorship, basically... The earliest American versions lack the last chapter (21) because the publishers didn't think the US audience would like it- so it ended at chapter 20. From what I understand that last chapter is somewhat of a redemption type chapter?

My version does have 21 so if I ever manage to get past the second page, I'll let you know.

The second page! It's pretty awful then, isn't it?
Interesting on the censorship of the last chapter.

Just a whole lot of slang, all at once... And knowing it's ultra-violent doesn't make me eager to dedicate all the effort since that sort of thing just isn't very interesting to me.

A list of the slang used.


http://clockwork101.tripod.com/info/i...

When I read this for school I did a lot of research on the two endings. Burgess originally wrote 21 chapters, with the book split into three, 7-chapter sections. His US editors disliked the final chapter and removed it, so that was the only version that US readers had access to initially. Because of this, when Kubrick made his film it was adapted from the US version, which means that the film doesn't include the final chapter.

Recent US editions now include the final chapter as Burgess intended, which I feel is the best way to read the novel. The edition that is show here on Goodreads (the cover includes flames and an open mouth) includes the final chapter, as does the Kindle version. When I recommend this book to people I often suggest that they read the book UP TO the last chapter, and reflect on it, and then read the last chapter and reflect on it again (obviously this is optional, but I think it's interesting to be able to consider the two different versions of the ending that people were getting).

As far as the slang (which is challenging), I recommend reading the first chapter and trying to decipher the slang, then once you're finished with the first chapter starting the book from the beginning again. It's not a particularly long book, so I think it's worth the extra time, and it really helped me get the language and the style into my brain. Those guides can help as well, but I feel like it can be distracting to have to go back and forth.

Finally (sorry for the long post, I just really love this book!), a not on Burgess's relationship with the book. Burgess hated that A Clockwork Orange was his most famous work. He considered it to be one of his worst novels, and expressed a desire for more people to read and find value in his other works. I don't know if this means anything in terms of the experience of reading it, but this is talked about in the foreword of the most recent edition, and I think it's something interesting to note.

I sincerely hope people give this novel a chance! It really is a striking and thought-provoking work of fiction, and while it might not be everyone's cup of tea it certainly has some very interesting things to say.

No apology necessary on length! Very useful tips, thankyou so much.

Will remember to do both. I was just checking my library, they have several copies available, so I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Just as soon as I finish the pile o library books currently in progress ;-).

Thanks, Caroline. I appreciate your ideas. I think I'll try them.

Bob wrote: "A list of the slang used.


http://clockwork101.tripod.com/info/i..."

Interesting! I really haven't looked at the slang list yet but the left hand portion talking about the origin of the slang is really fascinating! IT makes me feel a bit better knowing there is at least a little logic behind it even if it doesn't help me decipher anything at all.

I am giving it another try. little bit more than a third of the way through this time. Probably wouldn't have read this far if it wasn't a group read... But something interesting just happened so I'll try to hang on for awhile longer.

I've read the first 2 short chapters and I've found the language a bit tough to get my head around, but I've already figured out and remembered some of the slang terms. I found chapter 2 easier to grasp and better than chapter 1, but the jury's still out at the moment. Can't say that it's a book I'm desperate to pick up and continue, but I think that's just because it takes some more thought than others.

I remember the slang getting easier as the book progressed. Hope you are able to continue.

Bob wrote: "A list of the slang used.


http://clockwork101.tripod.com/info/i..."

This is in the back of the edition I'm reading, but the one I'm reading is a 1st US edition, borrowed from the library, and the binding is about to fall apart. Flipping back and forth in this copy is not optimal, so I appreciate the link!

(Wish it wasn't on a black background tho :p.)

This is good timing for me. My mom has been telling me for the last couple of months that I NEED to read this. LOL! Unfortunately, I had to put it on hold. Not available yet.

I'm a bit further now, about 1/3 of the way through and it's so good!

Pink wrote: "I'm a bit further now, about 1/3 of the way through and it's so good!"

I'm on page 5 ... :-o .... -_-

Finished!

Other background info that I've read surrounding it. This was one of many books that Anthony Burgess wrote after being diagnosed with a brain tumour, in a race against time to make enough money for the wife and child he was going to leave behind. It was also inspired by the real life event of his wife being assaulted and later miscarrying their child.