I saw A Clockwork Orange at some point when it seemed necessary to watch Kubrick films. Although it was old, I was still fairly uncomfortable with the in-your-face violence. The book, on the other hand, was written with a conscious attempt to avoid anything like this. The invented slang of the book (based on Russian) is so well done that it really does seem like a "glossary" would be a bit vulgar. As well as giving the book a timelessness to it however, the slang also functions to give distance to the violence described throughout. One settles in quite nicely.
I found it interesting to read that the Beethoven reference was meant to present an antithesis to the idea (popular at the time) that in interest in decent culture was incongruous with violent acts. Most interesting however, was the last chapter of the book - absent from the film. Apparently the US version of the book was released without this last chapter, because it gives the book a "happy ending". Burgess saw it as bittersweet, rather than just a convenient conversion on the part of the protagonist, however the philosophy he wished to propagate, indeed, depended on these final few pages. I think the book works well with this final chapter, leaving the reader less confused about what one should take from it - however I think the aesthetic of the film requires it to be left out. Hmm... interesting interesting
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