The Unholy Metropolis: Naked Lunch as the Anti-Urban Novel

William Burroughs is commonly known for his anti-government ramblings in Junkie and Naked Lunch. Many have already researched the nonlinear montage cut-up technique Burroughs borrowed from Brion Gysin. The superficial view is that these novels describe rampant drug use and homosexual promiscuity. It is hardly surprising that Burroughs’ work shocked (and still shocks) America. When we look a little deeper, though, we can find evidence of profound political strains threading throughout his texts. Was Burroughs an anarchist? A libertarian? A true American? Burroughs’ oeuvre is now complete, and it is now appropriate to reflect on the sum of his work. I will attempt to demonstrate a codified political ideology in Naked Lunch, one that incorporates contemporary ecological concerns with elements of Jeffersonian agrarianism. Can parallels between the politics of seemingly antipatriotic Burroughs and the original patriot Jefferson be found? What might such a revelation tell us about his views on urban culture? I will argue that while Burroughs was a passionate critic of the city, he ultimately accepted relentless urban expansion