1. The Lord of the Flies
By William Golding

2. Our Author: William Golding
Born September 19, 1911 in Cornwall, England (during WWI)
Mother, Mildred, was an advocate for women’s rights
Father, Alec, was a schoolteacher
His father had a tremendous influence upon him

3. Education & Employment
Marlborough Grammar School
Brasenose College, Oxford where he studied English Literature and Philosophy
Aside from writing he worked as a actor, writer, producer, and school teacher.

4. War Time
Joined the Royal Navy in 1940 and served for six years during World War II
Participated in invasion of Normandy on D-Day
At war’s end, returned to teaching and writing until the 1960’s

5. His Greatest Successes
Golding’s first and most successful novel, Lord of the Flies, was published in England in 1954 but its popularity was not established until five years later when it appeared in paperback.
Won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983
In 1988, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

6. End of Career & Life
At the time of his death, he was working on The Double Tongue, which was published posthumously in 1995.
Golding died on June 19, 1993 in England.

7. His Influences
As a child, Golding had witnessed WWI, “the war to end all wars”.
In the decade before Lord of the Flies was published, Britain had been involved in two more wars: World War II (which Golding served) and the Korean War.
His experiences in WWII gave him the idea to write a book about human nature and evil.

8. The Lord of the Flies Published in 1954
Rejected 21 times before being published!
On the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of
Written partially in response to The Coral Island, a story of how people supposedly ascend in their goodness on an island.
Human nature
Duality of man
Nature Vs. Nurture
Good Vs. Evil

9. Behind the Title
The phrase “lord of the flies” is a translation of the Greek word “Beelzebub,” a devil mentioned in the New Testament.
In the Bible, Beelzebub sometimes seems to be Satan himself, and at other times seems to be Satan’s most powerful lieutenant.

10. The Message of Lord of the Flies
Through LOTF, Golding is making the statement that we cannot escape our savage, violent tendencies and without social order, we devolve into a state of chaos.

11. Philosophy Behind It
Humans are inherently evil; society establishes government to curb evil instincts
Humans are inherently good; humans are born good and are corrupted by society
Humans are inherently neutral; our experiences determine the balance between good and evil

12. So what’s this novel about?
The novel is set in 1940’s Europe in the midst of a fictional nuclear war.
A plane carrying a group of British school boys being evacuated from England is mistaken for a military craft and shot down.
The plane crash lands on an uninhabited island with only the boys (no adults) as sole survivors.
The novel is the story of the boys’ attempts to form a society and govern themselves; a descent into chaos, disorder, and evil.

13. LOTF Influence on Pop Culture
In Hook, Robin Williams compares Lost Boys to savages in LOTF
The Simpsons episode “Das Bus” is a parody
Spongebob Squarepants episode “Club Spongebob” is a parody
Inspiration for the anime series Infinite Ryvius
Mel Gibson’s 2006 movie Apocalypto has a similar ending.
T.V. shows Survivor and Lost were inspired from LOTF
2006 movie Unaccompanied Minors makes reference to LOTF

14. LOTF Influence on Pop Culture
Stephen King uses the name “Castle Rock” (from the novel) as the name of a town in his books. He also makes reference to LOTF in the novels The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Cujo and Hearts in Atlantis
Orson Scott Card makes reference in his novel, Ender’s Shadow.
Degrassi: The Next Generation, Danny Phantom, The Daily Show all mention the novel

15. LOTF Influence on Pop Culture
Musicians U2, Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, Gatsby’s American Dream, Nine Inch Nails, Tori Amos, A.F.I., Taking Back Sunday, and Danielle Dax have all recorded songs about the novel.
Titles such as:
“Where the Flies Are”
“Touch Piggy’s Eyes”
“Lord of the Flies”
“Piggy Fable”
“Boy”
“Shadows and Tall Trees”