eBook, 219 pages
English language
Published Nov. 11, 1954 by Perigee.
The classic tale of a group of English school boys who are left stranded on an unpopulated island, and who must confront not only the defects of their society but the defects of their own nature. Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature. Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies has established itself as a true classic
I went into this book with a pretty correct idea about what it would be about. It reminded me of every job I've ever had; a bunch of childish boys trying to decide who's in charge.
What surprised me is that it was actually a nice little tropical vacation of sorts. I should have read it in wintertime.
perhaps this should be categorized as YA, but the facts are that 1) Golding wrote this for an adult audience 2) his publisher sold it to an adult audience and 3) the YA category didn't even exist back then!
anyhow, it's often read in highschool (i didn't - we were assigned john Knowle's A Separate Peace) but ds was reading it for a writing critique so i picked it up as well.
it's got some archaic vocabulary, and long descriptive passages so i can see how it might dovetail into middle school boys hating to read. i was also surprised at how piggy was described. knowing that his death was to be a pivot point of the novel, i expect a more compassionate account of him (thru either the author's or the protagonist's eyes) but he's actually quite easy to dislike. then again, that may be the point. a …
perhaps this should be categorized as YA, but the facts are that 1) Golding wrote this for an adult audience 2) his publisher sold it to an adult audience and 3) the YA category didn't even exist back then!
anyhow, it's often read in highschool (i didn't - we were assigned john Knowle's A Separate Peace) but ds was reading it for a writing critique so i picked it up as well.
it's got some archaic vocabulary, and long descriptive passages so i can see how it might dovetail into middle school boys hating to read. i was also surprised at how piggy was described. knowing that his death was to be a pivot point of the novel, i expect a more compassionate account of him (thru either the author's or the protagonist's eyes) but he's actually quite easy to dislike. then again, that may be the point. a kid you tease, bully and even hate still is not deserving of death. maybe the pivot point is supposed to happen in the reader's mind.
I hate this book. I see and understand the philosophical thoughts behind it, and i still hate it. I hate how Golding thought about kids (even if they are a metaphor). I hate his writing, which was horrible. It is unbelievable you can corrupt the English language like that or be forced to read a book with non coherent sentences in school. Sentences that have no meaning. I hate the sexism and the patriarchy behind it. I hate the introduction that tells me how i should interpret this book, because apparently the book itself can't do it on its own. And the worst is, that this book won a Nobel prize in literature..
