Naked Lunch

[kjt1981]

did anyone else understand this? im upto page 50 and am struggling to make any sense of it at all. I think ive grasped a couple of passages that are presumably about beraucracy and the abuse of power (Dr. Benway on the threat of torturing made me smile - the ).... and here and there parts have made me laugh such as the section about Bradley the Buyer bit who "assimilated" the District Supervisor. Am i right in thinking that Burroughs is caomparing the bradley the buyer character to an insect on account of his herion addiction?

or am i not supposed to understand it?

any help much appreciated

Thanks :D

[Scars]

It means nothing. You must remember that William S. Burroughs wrote the bulk of the book (I wouldn't call it a novel) while in rehab for his (fairly serious) heroin addiction, so he was locked in a small white room alone with a typewriter. In addition, it was the first book in which he used the 'cut up' method, which involves taking a book apart and randomly putting it back together, hence the seemingly random choppiness of the book.

It gets far weirder, so don't try to coprehend what he 'meant', because he probably meant nothing- just sit back and enjoy the ride :D

[Comrade Marcel]

I'm on pg. 209.

I have to stop periodicaly and put it down for weeks at a time. It's just so weird, it wears me down.

There are references to right-wing, left-wing, beraucracy, totalitarianism, the white-supremecist movement, eugenics, uncontrolled society, coruption, criminalism, etc. etc.

But there not real political essence to it IMO, except maybe cycnicism.

[kjt1981]

thanks - trying to just get along with it now. That first night after starting it gave me headaches - literally couldnt sleep due to the headfuck. :lol:

Enjoying it though.

[Comrade Marcel]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19 2006, 12:23 PM
thanks - trying to just get along with it now. That first night after starting it gave me headaches - literally couldnt sleep due to the headfuck. :lol:

Enjoying it though.
Yeah, it's definately different to read, especially if you are writer, it introduces you to something out of the "norm". It gave me a few ideas.