Comparison of Linguistic Differences in the Film and Novel of A Clockw

Anthony Burgess A Clockwork Orange - Linguistic Differences in the Film and Novel A Clockwork Orange, written by Anthony Burgess, is experienced other than as a fabrication than it is as the movie directed by Stanley Kubrick. The heart of the difference between the two forms is expressed by Bakhtin The potential for double-voiced talk over between the author and narrator is one of the most fundamental privileges of novelistic prose, a privilege available neither to dramatic nor to purely poetic genres (Bakhtin, 320).1 An entire dimension of the novels story is lost in the movie when Alexs role is reduced from narrator to commentator. The ability of Burgess to speak indirectly to the audience by dint of Alex is removed, and the perspective on the Clockwork world revealed through Nadsat, the language Alex speaks, is lost. However, this does not mean that the movie is less effective than, or an inferior medium to the novel. The main drive back of the story remains in the movie fo rm Kubrick utilizes the means, such as a musical score and the visual dimension, unique to the dramatic genre to arrest ways around the want of Nadsat and first person narration. He also tries to maintain the twisted sense of humor found in the book temporary hookup working to promote the audiences understanding of Alexs universe. Kubrick preserves the unusual opportunity A Clockwork Orange offers the audiencea chance to dump itself in Alexs character and actions, and have its nastier propensities titillated (Burgess ix)2 by Alexs ultra-violence, instead of being frightened away. In the novel, Burgess is able to speak indirectly through Alexs narration, telling the reader about the novels political setting as well as revealing Alexs (and perha... ... Nadsat, is lost. And with the loss of a large and comprehensive language such as Nadsat, goes part of Burgess voice. However, Kubrick does an excellent job of retaining the novels spirit and structure, even part offering his ow n interpretation. He takes advantage of the visual and auditory possibilities that the film medium presents to fill in the gap created by the removal of Nadsat, resulting in an reachable and satisfying movie. In both forms, A Clockwork Orange draws its audience into sympathizing with Alex and ultimately enjoying themselves as they rape and rip by proxy (Burgess ix).Works Cited 1. M.M. Bakhtin, The Dialogic Imagination (Austin University of Texas Press, 1981).2. Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (NewYork W.W. Norton & Company, 1986).3. A Clockwork Orange, prod. and dir. Stanley Kubrick, 137 min., Warner Bros., 1971.