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Loading... Lord of the flies : a novel (1954)by William Golding
Work InformationLord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)
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I'm the kind of person who likes to believe in the inherent good of every person, whether it is true or not, but this novel basically takes that idea and throws it out the window altogether. Can society devolve as quickly as it is presented in this tale? That may be a question that can't be answered; we may never know for sure. But if something like this could really happen, why doesn't it happen more often. Sure, kids can be cruel, but can they really turn into bloodthirsty animals so quickly? I'd like to think that in reality a good portion of their moral values would be retained enough for them to establish a somewhat humane society instead, rather than the absolute worst, as Golding seems to believe.
35 livres cultes à lire au moins une fois dans sa vie Quels sont les romans qu'il faut avoir lu absolument ? Un livre culte qui transcende, fait réfléchir, frissonner, rire ou pleurer… La littérature est indéniablement créatrice d’émotions. Si vous êtes adeptes des classiques, ces titres devraient vous plaire. De temps en temps, il n'y a vraiment rien de mieux que de se poser devant un bon bouquin, et d'oublier un instant le monde réel. Mais si vous êtes une grosse lectrice ou un gros lecteur, et que vous avez épuisé le stock de votre bibliothèque personnelle, laissez-vous tenter par ces quelques classiques de la littérature. There is no blinking the fact that this English schoolmaster turned novelist understands growing boys to the heart; one must go back to"High Wind in Jamaica" to find a comparable tour de force. The uneasy conviction persists that he despises the child who is father to the man-and the man as well. Homo sapiens needs all the friends he can find these days, in and out of novels. "Lord of the Flies" is an allegory on human society today, the novel's primary implication being that what we have come to call civilization is, at best, skin deep. With undertones of "1984" and "High Wind in Jamaica," this brilliant work is a frightening parody on man's return (in a few weeks) to that state of darkness from which it took him thousands of years to return. Fully to succeed, a fantasy must approach very close to reality. "Lord of the Flies" does. It must also be superbly written. It is. Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inHas the adaptationIs abridged inHas as a studyHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideWilliam Golding's Lord of the Flies, The Inheritors, Pincher Martin, Free Fall (Monarch Notes) by Terence Dewsnap Has as a teacher's guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
The classic study of human nature which depicts the degeneration of a group of schoolboys marooned on a desert island. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Imagine two aliens landing on Earth, and attempting to study humans. One of them lands in a concentration camp in a totalitarian state, the other in a scout summer camp. They will have very different views of what humans are like. These views will not be untrue; neither will these views be true. They will be limited and one-sided.
Lord of the Flies is a fable of darker sides of human nature (disclaimer: I hate fables). The book is packed with symbols and allusions that I got tired of. I prefer not to be hit over the head with author’s messages. The characters are two-dimensional at best, and I would have preferred to care for them more. I liked Piggy, the voice of reason, very much. There was very obvious fat shaming, though. The bullying was awful. “Piggy was once more the center of social derision so that everyone felt cheerful and normal.”
The grisly, beastly things were true, very plausible, and horrifying. According to the book, this seemed to be the only possible view of human nature, though. The reader who thinks that this is not always true will not be satisfied.
But I thought that the writing was very good. Golding pulls you in, you keep reading almost despite yourself, you cannot let the book go, except to say “what a great sentence”. A saving grace!
“They were twins, and the eye was shocked and incredulous at such cheery duplication.”
“Darkness poured out, submerging the ways between the trees till they were dim and strange as the bottom of the sea.”
The ending has too much of deus ex machina and feels anticlimatic.
One more thing: other reviewers pointed to “the real Lord of the Flies”, a story that is quite different from this book. It’s an interesting read, I’ll say no more. ( )