THE FUNCTION OF MUSIC IN ANTHONY BURGESS’S „A CLOCKWORK ORANGE“

AUTHOR(S) / АУТОР(И): Tamta Amiranashvili

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DOI: 10.46793/LLD24.168A

ABSTRACT / САЖЕТАК:

English writer and composer Anthony Burgess, world-famous for his dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange (1962), skillfully incorporates music in his several artistic works, such as The Earthly Powers (1980), The Piano Players (1986), Mozart and Wolf Gang (1991). Due to the author’s frequent reference to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in A Clockwork Orange, its use in the novel cannot be accidental. This article aims to explore the multifaceted role of music in A Clockwork Orange, analyze its influence on character development, narrative structure, and thematic resonance. The fact that Alex, the brutal criminal, can perceive classical music gives the novel an unexpected twist. The desire for violence especially awakens in Alex when he listens to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. In the most difficult moments of his life, he finds strength in music. It can’t be a coincidence that Alex’s taste of music changes when he grows out of criminal acts. Writing the novel, Burgess was also guided by the structure of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Unlike the novel, the Ninth Symphony consists of four movements. The fourth movement of the symphony is thematically and musically distinct from the other three and it is often referred to as a “symphony within a symphony.” Although A Clockwork Orange consists of three parts, its final chapter is completely different in content from the rest of the book. At the same time, like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, in which the first and third movements are similar in sound, Burgess’s book shows some parallelism between the first and third movements, while the second movement, again like the symphony, is different in its subject matter. The insertion of classical music within the novel’s ultraviolent themes also prompts an exploration of the relationship between art and morality. Burgess raises questions about the transformative power of art, and its potential to influence human behavior.

KEYWORDS / КЉУЧНЕ РЕЧИ:

dystopian novel, music, free will

REFERENCES / ЛИТЕРАТУРА:

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