Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Englisches Seminar

A Clockwork Orange in the context of subculture

Term paper for the course

Proseminar: Subcultures in Post-War Britain

WS 2002/03

submitted by

Maren Volkmann

Contents

1. Introduction 3

2. Subculture before ACO 3
2.1. Short overview: Subcultures in the 1960’s 3
2.1.1. Teddy Boys 4
2.1.2. Mods 4
2.1.3. Rockers 5
2.2. Inspiration for the novel 5

3. Subculture in novel and film 6
3.1. Setting 6
3.2. The droogs 7
3.2.1. Dress 8
3.2.2. Language 9
3.2.3. Drugs 11
3.2.4. Violence 11
3.2.5. Music 12

4. Subculture after ACO 13
4.1. Affection on youth 13
4.2. Punk subculture 14
4.3. Skinheads 15

5. Conclusion 17

6. Bibliography 18
6.1. Primary Literature 18
6.2. Secondary Literature 18

1. Introduction

In 1974 – just two years after it had opened – the movie “A Clockwork Orange”¹ by Stanley Kubrick was banned from Bristish screens. It was Kubrick himself who decided to withdraw the film from distribution in the UK. Since Kubrick received death threats and threatening phone calls he hoped that the controversary would subside with the fading of memory. The film had been blamed for several violent acts and Kubrick and Anthony Burgess, the writer of the novel, were made responsible for them.

In fact, the film caused a moral panic because of its violence. However, it seems interesting to me who is behind all this violence. I want to analyse how Alex and his droogs define themselves. Are they rebels without a cause and if not, what are they rebelling against? I will try to take a look at the book and the film in context of subculture: how did subculture influence the works of Burgess and Kubrick, how is subculture presented in their works and how did they influence subculture afterwards?

2. Subculture before ACO

2.1. Short overview: Subcultures in the 1960’s

The researchers in the Centre for Contemporary Culturaral Studies at Birmingham University developed an sociological explanation for subcultural groups, called “New Subcultural Theory”. This theory sees subcultural groups no more as a compensation but a resistance and opposition to structural problems, in this case the post-war destruction of the working-class community and its traditional values. Working-class culture is dominated by middle-class values through hegemony; however, by negotiating physical or social spaces the values of these subordinate groups can co-exist. Young people who are born into this working-class culture and who are “subject to different experiences and influences from their parents” naturally negotiate space for their own culture as well; they build a subculture. They want to be autonomous and different from their parents. They also seek for solutions for their problems: unemployment, low pay, educational disadvantage etc. Of course, by joining a subculture their problems do not solve automatically; subculture only suggests a solution on a symbolic level: by dressing in an upper-class style for example a working-class youth can present an image and a status he could never achieve in real life. Subcultures construct styles by taking symbols out of their contexts and placing them into a new context. This recontextualisation (“bricolage”) invalidates conventional meanings and therefore is easily seen as a provocation. Subcultures organize a group-identity; they form a “homology”, expressed by “adopted objects, dress, appearance, language, styles of interaction and music”. Their resistance to subordination is shown in various attempts, which are presented in the following paragraphs:²

2.1.1. Teddy Boys

The so-called “Teds” first appeared in London in 1953. They had a dandylike style, which consisted of an Edwardian style suit, suede shoes and other stylish accessoires. The Teds sought entertainment in gangs and since they were very involved in fashion, which had previously been a “traditional female expression”, they tried to compensate with violence and a tough attitude. Therefore they were associated with disturbance by the media and elder people and were called “folk devils”.

2.1.2. Mods

The Mods – or Modernists – superseeded the Teds in the early 1960’s. They were more “subtle and subdued in appearance”³; they established a cooler, more sophisticated subculture. They wore conservative suits, narrow trousers and short hair. Although they still fought on the street they were highly interested in fashion and dancing.

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1 In the following “A Clockwork Orange” will be abbreviated by ACO.

2 Widdicombe, Sue and Wooffitt, Robin: “The language of youth subcultures. Social identity in action” (pp. 14 – 18)

3 Widdicombe, Sue and Wooffitt, Robin: “The language of youth subcultures. Social identity in action” (p. 9)