5 Earthly Powers (1980)
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Christopher W. Thurley
Abstract
Fictional representations of Americans and American cities abound in Earthly Powers (1980), but it’s Burgess’s handling of youth and race issues that are most revealing and American about the text. The novel’s main Black figure is Ralph, who is essentially a soundboard for Burgess’s own arguments emanating from the mouth of Toomey, and a caricature for how Burgess perceived the Black Power and identity movements of 1970s African Americans. It’s striking to recognize that this line of narrative is harshly and transparently monoglot in what is considered by many to be Burgess’s most achieved novel. As such, though, this authorial act actually stands as evidence to prove that such monoglottal features originate from Burgess’s existence in the American cultural sphere, making the narrative inherently aware that ‘the world and the language it speaks are profoundly heteroglot’.
Abstract
Fictional representations of Americans and American cities abound in Earthly Powers (1980), but it’s Burgess’s handling of youth and race issues that are most revealing and American about the text. The novel’s main Black figure is Ralph, who is essentially a soundboard for Burgess’s own arguments emanating from the mouth of Toomey, and a caricature for how Burgess perceived the Black Power and identity movements of 1970s African Americans. It’s striking to recognize that this line of narrative is harshly and transparently monoglot in what is considered by many to be Burgess’s most achieved novel. As such, though, this authorial act actually stands as evidence to prove that such monoglottal features originate from Burgess’s existence in the American cultural sphere, making the narrative inherently aware that ‘the world and the language it speaks are profoundly heteroglot’.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vi
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- 1 On his mind (1956–66) 21
- 2 Burgess on the United States 47
- 3 M/F (1971) 94
- 4 The Clockwork Testament, or Enderby’s End (1974) and New York (1976) 158
- 5 Earthly Powers (1980) 240
- 6 The End of the World News (1982) 266
- 7 Enderby’s Dark Lady, or No End to Enderby (1984) 284
- 8 After America 337
- Conclusion 345
- Index 356
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of illustrations vi
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- 1 On his mind (1956–66) 21
- 2 Burgess on the United States 47
- 3 M/F (1971) 94
- 4 The Clockwork Testament, or Enderby’s End (1974) and New York (1976) 158
- 5 Earthly Powers (1980) 240
- 6 The End of the World News (1982) 266
- 7 Enderby’s Dark Lady, or No End to Enderby (1984) 284
- 8 After America 337
- Conclusion 345
- Index 356
