Lord of the Flies Literary Criticism
Kinkead-Weekes, Mark, and Ian Gregor. William Golding: A Critical Study. London:
Faber and Faber, 1967. 15-21. Print.
Authors, Mark Kinkead-Weekes and Ian Gregor, mainly address the symbolism of the conch shell and Piggy from Lord of the Flies. On the first page they write, “we are made aware that much more than this story is being told.” Kinkead-Weekes and Gregor realize the depth of Golding’s symbolism and explore that in their book. Their intro includes that Lord of the Flies was received well, but also named some negative aspects such as the book being “too crystalline, too insistent, and too manipulated to be acceptable.” They then move on to the symbolism of Piggy and the conch shell. They say Golding symbolizes Piggy’s elevated attitude to the intelligence and “rational humanism.” Kinkead-Weekes and Gregor then discuss the importance of the sound of the shell due to the character and how “the conch’s symbolic meaning depends on the state of the children’s mind.” Kinkead-Weekes and Gregor point out how important Golding’s use of symbolism is in Lord of the Flies.
"A Critical Analysis on William Golding's Lord of the Flies." . N.p., 15 Aug. 2000.
Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.uv.es/~fores/wgaron.html>.
The author of this article shows Golding’s use of tension through literary elements. His candid piece points out syntax, symbolism through colors and characters, and point of view in Lord of the Flies. The author uses examples from the book to show how Golding’s use of syntax and point of view raises tension in the story. The authors then presents some of the examples of symbolism through colors and characters in Lord of the Flies. Some of the examples are, “yellow makes the reader think of the sun,” and “black and red bring to mind evil.” The author of this article basically points out Golding’s in-depth use of symbolism and how he raises tension throughout the book.
"Lord of the Flies and The Enlightenment." Lord of the Flies and The Enlightenment.
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://stateofbeing1.weebly.com/literary-criticism.html>.
Golding’s thought of people being naturally evil and “the breakdown” in Lord of the Flies is addressed in this article. Showing different point of views from critics, the author of this article points out what others think of man being naturally evil and “the breakdown.” Opinions of four literary critics are addressed in this article and what they think about the topics discussed about Lord of the Flies. The author, agreeing with Golding, says, “no matter how well-intentioned he [man] is, and no matter how reasonable a government he erects, man will never be able to permanently contain the beast within.” The author also points out how Golding includes his experience in World War II in Lord of the Flies. They say, “The novel presents the war of the ‘grownup’ world not as an ‘unpleasant contradiction’ but as a tragedy, a breakdown of society not unlike the one that is occurring on the island. This article basically shows the madness of man presented in Lord of the Fies.
Oldsey, Bernard S., and Stanley Weintraub. The Art of William Golding. London:
Indiana University Press, 1965. 15-33. Print.
Bernard S. Oldsey and Stanley Weintraub start out their book with telling the readers that Lord of the Flies has “attracted the greatest amount of critical attention directed toward Golding.” They then say that the book was received well and, “only twice has it been blasted as insignificant art encased in bad writing.” They then address the meaning of “civilization” and how most of the characters in Lord of the Flies went mad. They then point out how vague Golding is and how the readers have “to pull narrative and descriptive elements into focus.” Oldsey and Weintraub make various observations about Lord of the Flies in their book.
All four of the literary criticisms have common views on Lord of the Flies. Most of them point out Golding’s symbolism of the characters and how they represent things like intelligence, madness, and leadership. Most of them also write about how the book was received relatively well, and that most people enjoy Golding’s majorly viewed work. They all also address the main point of the book--the madness. The writings discuss whether man is naturally evil or not and what they think of Golding’s view on life. The literary criticisms I found all have pretty similar views about William Golding and Lord of the Flies.
Faber and Faber, 1967. 15-21. Print.
Authors, Mark Kinkead-Weekes and Ian Gregor, mainly address the symbolism of the conch shell and Piggy from Lord of the Flies. On the first page they write, “we are made aware that much more than this story is being told.” Kinkead-Weekes and Gregor realize the depth of Golding’s symbolism and explore that in their book. Their intro includes that Lord of the Flies was received well, but also named some negative aspects such as the book being “too crystalline, too insistent, and too manipulated to be acceptable.” They then move on to the symbolism of Piggy and the conch shell. They say Golding symbolizes Piggy’s elevated attitude to the intelligence and “rational humanism.” Kinkead-Weekes and Gregor then discuss the importance of the sound of the shell due to the character and how “the conch’s symbolic meaning depends on the state of the children’s mind.” Kinkead-Weekes and Gregor point out how important Golding’s use of symbolism is in Lord of the Flies.
"A Critical Analysis on William Golding's Lord of the Flies." . N.p., 15 Aug. 2000.
Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.uv.es/~fores/wgaron.html>.
The author of this article shows Golding’s use of tension through literary elements. His candid piece points out syntax, symbolism through colors and characters, and point of view in Lord of the Flies. The author uses examples from the book to show how Golding’s use of syntax and point of view raises tension in the story. The authors then presents some of the examples of symbolism through colors and characters in Lord of the Flies. Some of the examples are, “yellow makes the reader think of the sun,” and “black and red bring to mind evil.” The author of this article basically points out Golding’s in-depth use of symbolism and how he raises tension throughout the book.
"Lord of the Flies and The Enlightenment." Lord of the Flies and The Enlightenment.
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://stateofbeing1.weebly.com/literary-criticism.html>.
Golding’s thought of people being naturally evil and “the breakdown” in Lord of the Flies is addressed in this article. Showing different point of views from critics, the author of this article points out what others think of man being naturally evil and “the breakdown.” Opinions of four literary critics are addressed in this article and what they think about the topics discussed about Lord of the Flies. The author, agreeing with Golding, says, “no matter how well-intentioned he [man] is, and no matter how reasonable a government he erects, man will never be able to permanently contain the beast within.” The author also points out how Golding includes his experience in World War II in Lord of the Flies. They say, “The novel presents the war of the ‘grownup’ world not as an ‘unpleasant contradiction’ but as a tragedy, a breakdown of society not unlike the one that is occurring on the island. This article basically shows the madness of man presented in Lord of the Fies.
Oldsey, Bernard S., and Stanley Weintraub. The Art of William Golding. London:
Indiana University Press, 1965. 15-33. Print.
Bernard S. Oldsey and Stanley Weintraub start out their book with telling the readers that Lord of the Flies has “attracted the greatest amount of critical attention directed toward Golding.” They then say that the book was received well and, “only twice has it been blasted as insignificant art encased in bad writing.” They then address the meaning of “civilization” and how most of the characters in Lord of the Flies went mad. They then point out how vague Golding is and how the readers have “to pull narrative and descriptive elements into focus.” Oldsey and Weintraub make various observations about Lord of the Flies in their book.
All four of the literary criticisms have common views on Lord of the Flies. Most of them point out Golding’s symbolism of the characters and how they represent things like intelligence, madness, and leadership. Most of them also write about how the book was received relatively well, and that most people enjoy Golding’s majorly viewed work. They all also address the main point of the book--the madness. The writings discuss whether man is naturally evil or not and what they think of Golding’s view on life. The literary criticisms I found all have pretty similar views about William Golding and Lord of the Flies.