by Sapphire Mason-Brown

Created on: July 23, 2008

It is often said that the highest form of flattery is imitation. In modern day culture it is not necessary imitation that we see (although this is sometimes the case), but references. There are many novels and films that are commonly referenced in the many mediums in society today, this can range from fashion to sport. One such novel that is often referenced in culture today is "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. Many of these reference stem from Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film largely because is more accessible to audiences.

Fashion has been known to make many statements and pay homage to many mediums. On such example of this is a design that is featured on many T-Shirts and hoodies featuring an outline of Alex DeLarge, the main protagonist in A Clockwork Orange, and his droogs. This image is accompanied with a paragraph from the first page of the novel beginning with the phrase, "There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs." Another example of A Clockwork Orange's presence in the fashion world is in the name of a fashion retailer in Northern Ireland titled "A Clockwork Orange" which adopts the film posters font for their logo.

It is possible that most of the reference to A Clockwork Orange come from film and television, be it in terms of dress, dialogue or the general themes. The masters of references appear to be the creators of The Simpsons. There are countless references to A Clockwork Orange in the Simpsons one tremendous example is in the season four episode, "Duffless". Bart reaches for two cupcakes and this is seen from slightly above the two cakes. As Bart tries to do this he shakes and eventually curls into a ball on the floor as a result of the conditioning Lisa had given him. This is a direct spoof of part of the film, A Clockwork Orange where the effects of the Ludovico technique (a procedure which conditions people to be disgusted by negative actions) are tested by having the main character attempts to reach for a woman's breast but is overcome with illness. Other references to A Clockwork Orange in The Simpson's include Bart dressing up as Alex and using the slang used in the novel.

The presence and importance of A Clockwork Orange in modern cinema is clear. Renown directors Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver), David Lynch (Mulholland Drive) and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) have made films that feature ambiguous and complex central characters as is the case with A Clockwork Orange. The 1996 film created by the Coen Brothers features a reference

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