LORD OF THE FLIESBy William Golding

Introduction to

Author: William Golding

Born in England in 1911.

Was pushed to be a scientist, but also studied English at Oxford.

Won the Nobel Prize in 1983.

Lost innocence through WWI/WWII. Lived through World War I. Joined the Royal Navy and fought in World

War II. Participated in D-Day.

Golding’s view changed

Before the war, many believed that man was essentially good and society was inherently evil.Golding was one of them, but then…

During the war, he experienced fear, death, and destruction on a massive scale.

He saw the chaos and destructive power of man outside restrictions. (“All’s fair in love and war”)

He examines this in Lord of the Flies.

World War II

Global war from 1939-1945 between the Axis and Allied powers.

Nazi Germany wanted a pure race (Holocaust) and world domination.

Near the end, the USA dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, who surrendered.

The Allied power won. Estimated lives lost:

50-70 million people.

The Book

Golding’s first novel - rejected 21 times before it was published. Finally published in 1954. Many consider this book a classic of our time.

Became more successful later on.

Setting: During WWII, Britain feared invasion by Germany, and evacuated their children to other countries. This is where the story begins.

Fun fact: On American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000.

Why is it interesting?

Great depth of the characters – causes debate of the merits/defects of each.

Lots of symbolic and allegorical meaning.

Classic themes of good and evil.

Deals with the nature of man.

Debates over the ending of the story, and question of who the hero actually is.

Literary Techniques

Heavy use of symbolism

Irony

Abundant imagery and sensory detail

Figurative languageSimile – compares two ideas using “like” or

“as”Metaphor – compares two ideas without

using “like” or “as”Personification – giving an object human

qualities

Terms to Remember

Microcosm = A small world that represents the entire world at large.

Edenic = Eden-like, (or like a paradise), a setting that has not yet been spoiled by man.