Biography, Historical and Literary Context

Biography of William Golding

y Born September 11, 1911 in Cornwall, England y Golding was raised by his father, a teacher, and his

mother, a feminist writer and academic y Golding grew up in England during World War I (1914-1918). y Golding attended Oxford University in England to study Science in 1930. y In 1932, Golding changed his major to English Literature. y He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from Oxford (1934)

Biography Continued
y Golding publishes several poems and becomes a y y y y y y

teacher (1934) Golding survives World War II (1939 1945) Golding joins the Royal Navy in 1940 and leaves the Navy in 1945 Golding publishes his first novel, Lord of the Flies, in 1954 Golding is awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1983 Golding is Knighted in 1988 Golding dies of heart failure in 1993.

Modernism and Postmodernism Literary Movements

y Modernism y A literary movement that lasts from the beginning of the 20th Century to the end of World War II
y Modernists writers were reacting against:
y

The conventions of 19th century literature: realism and traditional verse The morals, traditions and actions of people and the world around them They see things going badly in the world and write about them to expose and hopefully stop them.

Modernism, Continued
y Many modernists focus their novels on: y The horrors of war y The bleakness of life everything and everyone is fragmented and separated
y What experiences would influence Modernist writers to

focus on these topics?

Postmodernism
y Postmodernism was developed by authors reacting to: y the writings of Modernists y World War II
y Postmodernism is different from Modernism because:
y y

They take modernist ideas to an extreme They believe that all truth is historical and they seek to expose the natural human way They accept the fragmentation of life and explore and celebrate it in their novels

Postmodernism, Continued
y Many Postmodernist novels focus on: y Deconstruction of Society y There is no ultimate truth
y Modernists believe God is dead y Postmodernists believe God never was y What characteristics of Lord of the Flies makes it a

modernist or postmodernist novel?