Literary epiphany

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:35 pm

I just discovered something more surreal than a 10 day acid trip.

Between the ages of 15 and 24 I read Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange" at least 21 times and that was after I started keeping count.

I felt I knew Alex and Pete and Georgie and Dim. I knew them like my own hand!

Tuesday night I stopped at the library and decided to read it again, though it's been over 20 years, to see what I thought after all this time.

I got to the final chapter where Alex jumps from a building in a suicide attempt but he didn't "snuff it". About this time I noticed there were more pages left to go than I remembered but I dismissed it as a glossary and read on.

At the end of this "final" chapter Alex is happily listening to classical music and imagining himself tolchocking every bolshy veck in sight and reveling in the old ultraviolence. Yes Alex was cured.

Yep the same as every other time I read the book.

I turned the page.....

THERE WAS A WHOLE NEW CHAPTER!!!

Bewildered I frantically began searching for my lighter and a cigarette and my teddy bear. This was out of my experience!

"What the hell is this?" I asked myself and my teddy bear.

Without regard for calamity, famine or plague I read a chapter of the book I'd never seen before. A chapter that added a whole new dimension to the book and to the character. It even explained the esoteric title of the whole damned book!

I must tell you I almost cried! I literally almost cried when I read this. It was like finding a missing Gospel that answered all my questions. It was like discovering the truth about the Trojan War or the meaning of eternity!

After I finished the "true" final chapter I decided to read the Forward to the book, (which I never do before I read a book).

For some stupid reason the final chapter of "A Clockwork Orange" was dropped from the American version of the book!!!! It wasn't until 1986, (after the last time I read it), that the chapter was re-added.

I'm still overcoming my anxiety attack and hope to be back to normal soon.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:29 pm

Since you throwed a spoiler at me without warning I get to point out that books have forewords and not forwards.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:39 pm

God bless you, my child.

(It just felt like I should say that.)

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:56 pm

Flyingcursor wrote:For some stupid reason the final chapter of "A Clockwork Orange" was dropped from the American version of the book!!!! It wasn't until 1986, (after the last time I read it), that the chapter was re-added.

Oh, that sucks.
Probably the same stupid reason they changed the title of the first Harry Potter book from "The Philosopher's Stone" to "The Sorcerer's Stone."
Kind of peeved me, so I ordered the UK version.

I'm glad you've been fulfilled.

I.D.10-t · Post by **I.D.10-t** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 6:05 pm

The movie also stopped at the 20th chapter. The original version had the 21 chapter as a bridge to maturity that made the book complete. The book would seem hollow without it.

sbfluter · Post by **sbfluter** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:51 pm

What?! Censorship in the US?! I'm so angry. I hate my country sometimes. It definitely does not practice what it preaches.

I'm glad you had an epiphany and your story got all wrapped up finally after all these years.

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:00 pm

here's Mad Magazine's version. I read this as a kid.

http://pages.prodigy.com/kubrick/aco-parody.htm

dwest · Post by **dwest** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:10 am

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:17 am

I felt that way when I discovered, just last year, that there was another version of Kipling's "The Jungle Books" (note the plural) than the one I grew up with. Red Dog. Mowgli as a grownup. Elephants trashing the...well, I won't spoil it for Walden. It was wonderful!

Tom

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:20 am

sbfluter wrote:What?! Censorship in the US?! I'm so angry. I hate my country sometimes. It definitely does not practice what it preaches.

I also understand that the movie Blade Runner had a voiceover
added because americans were too stupid to understand it.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:26 am

WyoBadger wrote:I felt that way when I discovered, just last year, that there was another version of Kipling's "The Jungle Books" (note the plural) than the one I grew up with. Red Dog. Mowgli as a grownup. Elephants trashing the...well, I won't spoil it for Walden. It was wonderful!

Tom

It's okay. I done read the Classics Illustrated version of the Jungle Book!

Ronbo · Post by **Ronbo** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:11 am

fearfaoin wrote:
sbfluter wrote:What?! Censorship in the US?! I'm so angry. I hate my country sometimes. It definitely does not practice what it preaches.
I also understand that the movie Blade Runner had a voiceover
added because americans were too stupid to understand it.

Never bothered to watch it. But if you are up for an old movie that really, really needed voiceovers (and a makeover), try Dune. The original novel by Frank Herbert was dense, intricate, and long, but you could understand what happened and why. The movie? Seemed like a Brit plotline.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:18 am

I love it! New wallpaper, maybe......!

I.D.10-t · Post by **I.D.10-t** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 9:49 am

mutepointe wrote:here's Mad Magazine's version. I read this as a kid.

http://pages.prodigy.com/kubrick/aco-parody.htm

They still did not get Dim's codpiece right.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:30 am

I love the cover. Caption reads:

"If you have to ask, why are you looking??? Go play in the street. Jeez."

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Literary epiphany

Literary epiphany

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