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> This story [school boys stranded on Island] never happened. An English schoolmaster, William Golding, made up this story in 1951 – his novel Lord of the Flies

> This story [school boys stranded on Island] never happened. An English schoolmaster, William Golding, made up this story in 1951 – his novel Lord of the Flies would sell tens of millions of copies, be translated into more than 30 languages and hailed as one of the classics of the 20th century. In hindsight, the secret to the book’s success is clear. Golding had a masterful ability to portray the darkest depths of mankind. Of course, he had the zeitgeist of the 1960s on his side, when a new generation was questioning its parents about the atrocities of the second world war. Had Auschwitz been an anomaly, they wanted to know, or is there a Nazi hiding in each of us? > Media historians even credit [Golding] as being the unwitting originator of one of the most popular entertainment genres on television today: reality TV. “I read and reread Lord of the Flies ,” divulged the creator of hit series Survivor in an interview. Fascinating insights. Basically it's just a projection of our fears, but the consequences of this are far-reaching to this day.

spac 6y ago
Apparently a projection of Golding's feelings: >I first read Lord of the Flies as a teenager. I remember feeling disillusioned afterwards, but not for a second did I think to doubt Golding’s view of human nature. That didn’t happen until years later when I began delving into the author’s life. I learned what an unhappy individual he had been: an alcoholic, prone to depression; a man who beat his kids. “I have always understood the Nazis,” Golding confessed, “because I am of that sort by nature.” And it was “partly out of that sad self-knowledge” that he wrote Lord of the Flies.
- bergstromm466 6y ago
  Yes, but books become well-known because they describe the general undercurrent of a cultural mood in a certain era, what Carl Jung called the 'collective unconscious'. Many people identify with the writing of an author because it helps them put words to their thoughts and feelings. Golding didn't become an alcoholic or become depressed in a vacuum, he was embedded in a social context. I don't believe humans are islands.

spac 6y ago

Apparently a projection of Golding's feelings: >I first read Lord of the Flies as a teenager. I remember feeling disillusioned afterwards, but not for a second did I think to doubt Golding’s view of human nature. That didn’t happen until years later when I began delving into the author’s life. I learned what an unhappy individual he had been: an alcoholic, prone to depression; a man who beat his kids. “I have always understood the Nazis,” Golding confessed, “because I am of that sort by nature.” And it was “partly out of that sad self-knowledge” that he wrote Lord of the Flies.

bergstromm466 6y ago
Yes, but books become well-known because they describe the general undercurrent of a cultural mood in a certain era, what Carl Jung called the 'collective unconscious'. Many people identify with the writing of an author because it helps them put words to their thoughts and feelings. Golding didn't become an alcoholic or become depressed in a vacuum, he was embedded in a social context. I don't believe humans are islands.