william golding and lord of the flies … golding lord of the flies ... influences on golding’s...
TRANSCRIPT
WILLIAM GOLDING LORD OF THE FLIES BACKGROUND NOTES
Instructions
• Get three pieces of paper from the front table.
• Get a syllabus.
• Get scissors (if there are any left).
William Golding Basics
• Full Name: William Gerald Golding
• Born: September 19, 1911
• Born in Cornwall, England
• Father Alec worked as a science teacher; He had strong political and scientific notions
• Mother Mildred worked on the suffragist movement
• Died: June 19, 1993 of heart failure
Golding’s Education
• Went to the grammar school where his father taught
• Began study at Oxford (Brasenose College) in 1930
• Original field of study was in the natural sciences
• In 1932, he changed his field of study to English Literature.
• Later in 1937, Golding returns to Oxford for a Diploma in Education
Influences on Golding’s Work
• Teaching
– taught English and philosophy at a number of grammar schools
– where he met his wife Ann
– studied how young children interacted with one another
Influences on Golding’s Work
• World War II
– Joined the Royal Navy
– Helped sink Germany’s Bismarck
– Was part of D-Day in France
– Changed his view of man – came to believe that everyone had an evil side
Influences on Golding’s Work
• Literary Influences
– Classical literature
– Mythology
– Christian symbolism
Other Life Events
• 1962 – resigned from teaching and focused on writing full time
• 1963 – Brook’s film Lord of the Flies was shown at Cannes
• 1983 – Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature
• 1988 – knighted
Lord of the Flies Background
• Started from an idea he had while reading The Coral Island to his kids
– Golding believed that this idyllic setting/plot was anything but realistic
• Began working on it in 1952
• Originally called Strangers from Within
Lord of the Flies Background
• In 1953, he begins sending it to publishers, where it was turned down by more than 20 of them – sensitive subject matter
– no one wanted something so pessimistic to be published
• Finally accepted after changes to the text, and it was published in 1954 as Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies Themes
• Man is inherently evil: Each person has within himself both good and evil. The evil will override the good unless it is contained by the laws of society.
• The need for civilization: Humans need civilization to keep them in line. When laws, rules, police, and schools are not in place, humans revert to a more primitive part of their nature.
• Innocence and the loss of it: Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person’s understanding of human nature. It can happen at any age or not at all.
Lord of the Flies Themes
• The loss of identity: When civilization slips away man reverts to his more primitive nature, his identity disintegrates.
• Power: Democratic power is demonstrated when choices and decisions are shared among many. Authoritarian power allows one person to rule by threatening and terrifying others.
• Fear of the unknown: The fear of the unknown can be a powerful force, which can turn people to either insight or hysteria.