" Lord of the Flies " by William Golding (Macmillan Master Guides)

## LIFE AND BACKGROUND William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911, and was, therefore, a child during the Great War of 1914-18, which cast a dark shadow on the prevailing optimism, derived from the Victorian period, .about human progress. He attended Marlborough Grammar School, and from there went up to Oxford, originally with the intention of reading science, though he switched subjects and graduated in English in 1933. Like his father before him, he became a teacher. In 1939 he married, and a year later volunteered for the Royal Navy, in which he served until1945. He saw action, took part in the D-Day landings in Normandy, and rose to the rank of lieutenant. After the war he returned to teaching, taking a post at Bishop Wordsworth's School, Salisbury, a boys' school.In 1954, Lord of the Flies, his first published novel, met with some critical attention, but it was not until 1962 that he was able to retire from teaching to become a full-time author. His publications are: This ebook is now available from Bloomsbury Academic. Bloomsbury Academic publish acclaimed resources for undergraduate and postgraduate courses across a broad range of subjects including Art & Visual Culture, Biblical Studies, Business & Management, Drama & Performance Studies, Economics, Education, Film & Media, History, Linguistics, Literary Studies, Philosophy, Politics & International Relations, Religious Studies, Social Work & Social Welfare, Study Skills and Theology. Visit bloomsbury.com for more information. Front Matter....Pages i-viii William Golding: Life And Background....Pages 1-2 R. M. Ballantyne’s The Coral Island (1858)....Pages 3-6 Summaries And Critical Commentary....Pages 7-45 Themes....Pages 46-56 Technical features....Pages 57-76 Specimen Passage And Commentary....Pages 77-82 Critical reception....Pages 83-85 Back Matter....Pages 86-88