William Golding's Lord of the Flies as Historical Critique of Human Nature
By
samclemens
Lightly toasted, lightly seasoned, mostly correct.
Summary
The article analyzes William Golding's novel 'Lord of the Flies' as a historical novel that challenges optimistic views of human nature and civilization. It explores Golding's perspective that the novel serves as a critique of Enlightenment optimism and progressive historical narratives, arguing that human savagery lies just beneath the surface of civilization. The piece examines how the novel's depiction of schoolboys descending into barbarism reflects Golding's belief in humanity's inherent darkness and serves as a warning about the fragility of social order.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledWilliam Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954) is a profoundly – even unsettlingly – historical novel.
Even now, what makes it so shocking is its immediacy – the sense that it wouldn't take much for the same fate to befall our own 'civilised' society.
But for Golding, it was a challenge to 'optimistic' readings of history.
Golding had a life-long fascination with the past.
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