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Like George Orwell and Philip Wylie, Ken Kesey is concerned with man's battle to be himself in a world of increasing controls, the battle of joy and freedom against a society which fosters guilt and shame. His first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, tells the story of a struggle between a man and a woman for the spirits and hearts of a group of people who have been defeated by the world.
The setting for these defeated lives is a mental institution. The teller of the story, a half-Indian and a long-time inmate, has made the most complete retreat from life of all of them; he will not talk, and he has fooled the staff into thinking he is deaf and dumb. But through his self-imposed protective fog he is an acute observer. His vision of the life around him seems to have a truth which is beyond the definitions of sanity or insanity. To him the world is run by an all-powerful "Combine." The hear of the war, the "Big Nurse," is the chief instrument of evil. She wields her insidious power over the men to destroy their wills and freeze them into mindless obedience.
Into this gray world comes McMurphy, a brawling, gambling man, full of spirit and a glorious lust for life. He is horrified by the docility with which the other men accept the rule of the Big Nurse and decides to fight her on her own terms. The battle begins, for him, as a lark - a way of winning the bets he has made with the men. And then, as he becomes more aware of the terrible dangers in it, and more committed to the others who have come to count on him for their own survival, his decision to go on is a heroic act of sacrifice and compassion.
--dust jacket
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Previews available in: English Russian French German
Subjects
Allegories, psychiatric nursing, medical novels, Belletristische Darstellung, Psychiatrische Klinik, Fiction, Psychiatric nurses in fiction, Psychiatric hospital patients in fiction, Psychiatric hospital patients, Psychiatric nurses, Mentally ill, Mentally ill in fiction, Psychiatric hospitals, Oregon in fiction, Psychiatric hospitals in fiction, Classic Literature, psychological fiction, satire, Psychiatric hospital patients -- Fiction, Psychiatric hospitals -- Fiction, Psychiatric nurses -- Fiction, Mentally ill -- Fiction, Oregon -- Fiction, Fiction, psychological, American fiction (fictional works by one author), Large type books, Roman américain, American literature, Friendship, Interpersonal relations, Literary, Classics, Psychological, Kesey, ken, 1935-2001, Criticism and interpretation, Minorities in literature, One flew over the cuckoo's nest (Kesey, Ken)Places
United States, OregonShowing 11 featured editions. View all 102 editions?
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01
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2016, Penguin Books
Paperback
in English
- "Sketches" edition (6)
0143129511 9780143129516
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02 |
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03
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2006, Penguin Books
paperback
in English
- Red Classics
0141024879 9780141024875
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04
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
2003, Penguin Books
Paperback
in English
- printing (8)
0141181222 9780141181226
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05 |
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06
Vol au-dessus d'un nid de coucou: roman
1995-02, France Loisirs
Hardcover
in French
- Edition du Club France Loisirs
2724283767 9782724283761
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07
Einer flog über das Kuckucksnest
1990-12, Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verla, Rowohlt Tb.
Paperback
in German
3499150611 9783499150616
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08
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
June 1976, Viking Press
in English
- Viking Compass Edition
0670526045 9780670526048
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09
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1976, New American Library, Penguin Putnam~mass
Mass Market Paperback
in English
- Authorized Reprint (59); Movie tie-in
0451121406 9780451121400
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10
Vol au-dessus d'un nid de coucou
1976, Stock, Livre de Poche
Mass Market Paperback
in French
- Movie Tie-In Edition
2253016071 9782253016076
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11
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1971-01, Viking Press
Paperback
in English
- 16th printing
0670001619 9780670001613
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Twenty fifth printing
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University of Prince Edward Island MARC recordUniversity of Prince Edward Island MARC record
Work Description
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a novel written by Ken Kesey. Set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, the narrative serves as a study of institutional processes and the human mind; including a critique of psychiatry, and a tribute to individualistic principles
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- Created October 10, 2009
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January 18, 2018 | Edited by Lisa | description |
January 18, 2018 | Edited by Lisa | Edited without comment. |
January 18, 2018 | Edited by Lisa | Added edition details. |
January 18, 2018 | Edited by Lisa | Added new cover |
October 10, 2009 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from University of Prince Edward Island MARC record |