i don’t think i agree with the “too didactic to be artistic” tbh. or at least think he’s looking at a v romantic, pure version art - exemplars, fables and allegories would all fail his test here.
and it’s interesting to recall kubrick only knew the US version of the book which did not include the final chapter (burgess’ “vindication of free will”), which is fulfilment of the didactic part.
this raises the question of whether the book’s “didactic” element is only really created by the final chapter, and whether the story as vehicle or enabler for an open experience (without a moral thumb on the scales) is more available in the book if you remove that final chapter. i’d also say one of the important ways the book is “experienced” is through the experience of learning and being distanced by nadsat.
setting the book and film against each other isn’t my intent here, but i’d make a claim for the the book and alex being more complicated than your statement above allows, for one thing a simple didacticism would make it considerably shorter.
there’s an element of burke’s the sublime here - experiencing terrible emotions as a transformative process, which, well that’s causing me to come round a bit more to your pov again... hmm will think on.
― Fizzles, Sunday, 3 June 2018 08:37 (five years ago) link