Ballard's novel High-Rise (1975) begins three months after a series of unusual events in which the inhabitants of a London tower block descend into barbarity and madness. Robert Laing, a medical doctor and a key figure in the novel, is sitting on the balcony of his apartment reflecting on the event that first signalled this return to primordial being: the explosive appearance of a champagne bottle knocked onto his 25th floor veranda from a party taking place six floors above. This striking image – a representation of civility falling into violence and self-destruction – provides the framing idea for a story concerned with atavistic degeneration, violence and psychological breakdown, urban space and its effects upon individual and group ethics, and the consequences of applying rationalist design methods to the planning of social life. The concluding...
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Citation: Waddell, Nathan. "High-Rise". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 January 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4753, accessed 09 June 2026.]
