01:18-04:17, Burgess defines the origins of the terms cacotopia, utopia, eutopia, and dystopia, with reference to Jeremy Bentham and Sir Thomas More.
04:18-06:25, Burgess briefly contrasts the British, French and US-American political systems
06:26-13:39, The lecture turns to recent conceptions of utopian societies, and examines H.G. Wells at length. Burgess positions Wells and himself as anti-establishment writers, in contrast to T.S. Eliot and E. M. Forster. Works referenced include Wells’ “The Time Machine”, “The Chronic Argonauts”, and “The Shape of Things to Come”.
13:40-16:37, The lecture refers to divisions in Christian theology, citing Pelagius and St Augustine of Hippo’s opposing views on original sin.
16:38-17:33, Burgess glosses divisions in British politics.
17:34-35:30, Burgess examines British “cacotopian” writing by contrasting Aldous Huxley’s and George Orwell’s work and their respective cacotopian visions. He analyses Huxley’s “Brave New World” and (from 23:58) Orwell’s “1984”. Other works referenced include Nevile Shute’s “On the Beach”.
35:31-40:14, A discussion of the premise, reception and predictions of Burgess’s “1985”, with reference to Aneurin Bevan, socialism and syndicalism.
40:15-46:26, The lecture turns to “A Clockwork Orange”, encompassing its reception, predictions, free will, good and evil, and original sin.
46:27-51:38, Burgess speaks on overpopulation, his time in Malaysia, warfare, cannibalism, and Pelagian theology, in relation to his novel “The Wanting Seed”.
51:39-53:57, The lecture concludes with Burgess remarking on the function of cacotopian fiction, and how future social problems will be solved by new terminology.
55:08-56:10, Addendum to lecture-recording, added by Burgess on 1 January 1983.