Lord of the Flies
 The original UK Lord of the Flies book cover | |
| Author | William Golding |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Pentagram |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Allegorical novel |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
Publication date | 1954 in England and 1955 in America |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Paperback & Hardback) |
| Pages | 248 pp (first edition, paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-571-05686-5 (first edition, paperback) Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| Followed by | The Inheritors |
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. It discusses how culture created by man fails, using as an example a group of school-boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 70 on the American Library Association's list of the 100 most frequently challenged Books of 1990–2000.[1] The novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.[2]
Published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was Golding's first novel, and although it was not a great success at the time — selling fewer than three thousand copies in the United States during 1955 before going out of print — it soon went on to become a bestseller, and by the early 1960s was required reading in many schools and colleges. It was adapted to film in 1963 by Peter Brook, and again in 1990 by Harry Hook (see "Film adaptations").
The title is said to be a reference to the Hebrew name Beelzebub (בעל זבוב, Ba'al-zvuv, "god of the fly", "host of the fly" or literally "Lord of Flies"), a name sometimes used as a synonym for Satan.[3]
Film adaptations
There have been two film adaptations:
- Lord of the Flies (1963), directed by Peter Brook
- Lord of the Flies (1990), directed by Harry Hook
Allusions/references to other works
Lord of the Flies borrows key elements from R.M. Ballantyne's The Coral Island (1857). Ballantyne's book, a simple adventure without any deep social themes, portrays three boys, Ralph, Peterkin and Jack, who land on an island. Golding used two of the names in his book, and replaced Peterkin with Simon. Lord of the Flies has been regarded as Golding's response showing what he believed would happen if children (or generally, people) were left to form a society in isolation.[4]
Golding read 'The Coral Island' as he was growing up, and thought of Ballantyne as racist, since the book teaches that evil is associated with black skin and is external.[citation needed] In Chapter 11 of the original Lord of the Flies, Piggy calls Jack's tribe "a pack of painted niggers."[5] The term was not viewed as offensive in 1960s British society as it is today as there was slightly more racism, being seen as a descriptive (rather than abusive) term for people of dark skin.[citation needed] In any case, the word was changed to "savages" in some editions and "Indians" in the mass media publication.
Influence
Many writers have borrowed plot elements from Lord of the Flies.
Printed works
Robert A. Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky, published in 1955, can be seen as a rebuttal to Lord of the Flies as it concerns a group of teenagers stranded on a uninhabited planet who manage to create a functional tribal society.[6]
Stephen King has stated that the Castle Rock in Lord of the Flies was the inspiration for the town of the same name that has appeared in a number of his novels. The book itself also appears prominently in his novels Hearts in Atlantis and Cujo.[7] King's fictional town in turn inspired the name of Rob Reiner's production company, Castle Rock Entertainment.
The DC Comics series Salvation Run is an adaptation of the "Lord of the flies" concept with all the major DC Supervillains being marooned on an Alien planet
Television
Lord of the Flies inspired Sunrise Animation's classic anime series Infinite Ryvius, which follows the lives of nearly 500 teenagers stranded aboard a space battleship.
Also the "Dus Bus" episode of the Simpsons is based off of this book
Music
- The English heavy metal band Iron Maiden composed a song about the novel, with the title "Lord of the Flies".
- The debut studio album, Boy, by Irish rock band U2 was loosely based on the novel's theme of childhood corruption, and the final song on the album, "Shadows and Tall Trees," takes its title from the novel's chapter of the same name. Additionally, some printings of the book's cover are similar to the cover of the album.[8]
References
- ^ "The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000". American Library Association. 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ "The Complete List: TIME Magazine – ALL-TIME 100 Novels". TIME. 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
- ^ http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02388c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Beelzebub]
- ^ Johnson, Arnold (1980). Of Earth and Darkness. The Novels of William Golding. Missouri: University of Missouri Press. p. 132.
- ^ http://greatwarfiction.wordpress.com/green-paint-mysteries-of-william-goldings-lord-of-the-flies/
- ^ Wagner, Thomas M. (2006). "Robert A. Heinlin: Tunnel in the Sky". SF Reviews.net. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ "Stephen King (1947-)". Authors' Calendar. 2003. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
- ^ Bailie, Stuart (1992-06-13). "Rock and Roll Should Be This Big!". NME. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
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External links
