A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess is a novel imbued with an intrinsic and multifaceted musical presence. Protagonist Alex's penchant for classical music gives his character interesting dimensions and resonates well thematically – the music in the novel can be characterized as a synecdoche for high culture, offset by Alex's violent and antisocial behavior. Some of the most violent scenes in the novel are performed to music by various composers from the Classical and Romantic eras, creating particularly jarring moments in the narrative, complemented by a wealth of interesting hermeneutical possibilities. Stanley Kubrick's infamous 1971 adaptation, a film known for its depictions of violence and notable for its fidelity to its sources, therefore features a score that reflects the musical arrangement of the novel, although it chooses a particular work - the Beethoven's Ninth Symphony - to play the role. as a sort of narrative catalyst. Examining both Burgess's novel and Kubrick's film adaptation, I will describe how music is used in the works in both similar and contrasting ways, shedding light on aspects of the relationship between the mediums of cinema, music and literature. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Considering the connection between his two arts, Burgess states in an article titled “Music and Literature”: “Music could have pretended, with Berlioz and Strauss, to absorb literature, but in fact it turned into a complement to literature – critical, illustrative. Throughout A Clockwork Orange, it can be argued that music is presented accordingly as both a critical and illustrative force; Burgess draws on his musical influences and skills to enrich this exploration of morality. Alex's first-person narration is accompanied by music in various contexts at different vital moments in the story. He plays when he is in a state of rumination. For example, early in the novel he listens to Bach while reflecting on his and his "droogs'" actions over the previous day: Then I took the beautiful Ninth out of his sleeve, so that Ludwig van was now nagoy [naked] too, and I put the needle whistling on the last movement, which was only happiness. There it was, the low strings drifting away from under my bed with the rest of the orchestra... and then the beautiful joyful melody about joy being a glorious spark like that of the sky, and then I felt the old tigers pounce. me and then I threw myself at these two young ptitsas. (50-51)extreme psychopathic behavior. » The previous two examples demonstrate how Burgess uses music in an illustrative way in A Clockwork Orange. However, as the work progresses into its second act, we can see how the role of music acquires a critical and illustrative position. Ludovico's technique, central to the novel's exploration of choice and free will, produces an unfortunate side effect for Alex: he can no longer listen to classical music without experiencing an intense and debilitating physical illness. The treatment is designed to condition the subject to experience this illness when exposed to any sort of physical or sexual violence, and Burgess uses this idea to investigate important questions regarding autonomy, because a criminal who undergoes the technique of Ludovico becomes a kind of robot. Faced with his once revered “ultra-violence”, Alex becomes incapable :/4149775.