The Viking Critical Library edition of Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is worth every cent of its price, not that it’s a high one anyway. The page count is double that of the novel, and what you get in this excellent edition, is a preface, a short biography, and a plethora of literary criticism, a very exhaustive collection, ranging from forgettable, strained and biased work to brilliant criticism. It’s not just a novel, it’s a compendium you get for a price of one. I strongly recommend this particular edition of the novel, and would encourage you to keep an eye for other volumes published by the Viking Critical Library.
Kesey was not appreciated after his first novel, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. His later novels and stories received abysmal reviews at the time of publication, his life was widely perceived as wasted. In fact, with “The Electric Kool-Aid” Tom Wolfe summarized Kesey as a one-note, one-novel author. Since when quantity is equivalent with quality? The same statement can be made of Joseph Heller and Harper Lee. The latter didn’t even try to write more than one novel he published! I claim that that particular novel of Ken Kesey earned him the place in the timeless literary pantheon, that it immortalized the author, and whether or not his fiction of the latter day is redeemable, is a secondary issue, almost irrelevant, I’d say.
“One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest” is indeed a universal novel. Many circles, political movements, ranging anywhere from anarchist and socialist to conservative and libertarian – tried to assimilate Kesey into their ideology, into their vision, whatever that was. A good piece of literature is universal, timeless, with redeeming features that are always true (or untrue, for that matter), whenever they are read, and if they contribute to the reader’s development regardless of their generation. “One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest” was one such book – it dealt with universal truths, with the basic premise of life – that we should be free, no matter what, that if once depraved of dignity, we can’t regain it back, and then it’s not worth continuing afterwards, that it’s a once-only gift from heavens. We can also self-depreciate, too – as an aside note.
The Term Paper on One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest 9
Biographical Data Ken Kesey was born on September 17, 1935 in La Junta, Colorado. Ken Kesey is world renowned for his best-selling novel, "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest." At an early age, Kesey had a love for Christian fables as well as the Christian ethical system. Although he had a love for these fables, Kesey never wrote anything or published anything till well after his high school career. In ...
A very strong moral message the novel conveys is the opposition of the individual and the society. In a way, Kesey’s book is similar to John Kennedy Toole’s “The Confederacy of Dunces”, where a similar point is raised. “One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest” is an apotheosis of personal freedom, and a warning against the tendencies evident in modern societies. A free individual is disengaged from the society, although coexisting with it on a daily basis. Exactly this point provides a wide arena for interpretation, and if you enjoy analysis of this type, you will definitely appreciate Penguin’s critical edition – for there’s much material that will satisfy your curiosity, if need be.
Abstracting from that usual tendency to stress the individual-system opposition presented in the novel, I think that one of the main threads of interest, for me at least, is the keen observation Kesey makes about the human nature. If given the chance, the animal creeps out from us, and goes wild. No matter how civilized we are, it’s always there, lurking. Also, we have oceans of cruelty in us ‘ maybe not all of us – but a vast majority definitely do. Where we differ – is the degree. Life is not black and white, but grey, all shades of grey. If given the sufficient opportunity, we shall turn against our brethren. I believe in this, and Kesey seems to have at least hinted at that. I won’t make a prolonged philosophical digression, although that’s the proper playground here, but I do think that we are essentially bad, evil, primitive, with a good side to us, which is like a self-conscious and often automatic chain that holds us in place. Religions superimposed the idea of temptation over that basic premise, and where religions differ is the actual interpretation of symbols. What I find of more value as a lukewarm believer, is the caveman sub-layer of our human nature. Evil and good are not balanced. The former is kept like a genie in a bottle, the more we are civillized, the more so. it is not equilibrium. And from time to time, the evil creeps out, or, rather, bursts out, and then there’s trouble. Some people feel right at home with their real nature, and thus are more adept at obtaining the equilibrium. Often devoid of empathy, they execute their wishes if given the chance, and they do so more efficiently than the rest of us – precisely because they are more balanced. I keep coming back to Kesey’s Nurse Ratched. If I were to characterize her in one word only, use only one adjective, I’d choose “unemphatic”, if there’s such a word.
The Essay on How Important Is Nature In Society?
Our British society, which is growing evermore materialistic, is becoming more and more insistent on disregarding its reliance on nature in favour of celebrating technology. As our manipulation of nature is now quite apparent, our relationship with it has become indirect; but it is still very much existent and of extreme importance, however much we fail to admit it. This essay will explore the ...
“One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest” is a novel that gives food for thought. It will last you for days, months, or even a lifetime, along with a few other giant works of the XX century. Irrespective of his career of the later day, Kesey is immortal precisely because he conceived that universal novel which gives rise to so many interpretations, is such a fertile work of one man’s imagination. And that in addition to the actual excellent storyline! Kesey was a giant for me. May he be blessed with peace forever.
