English 3044 WWII & Lord of the Flies (1954)

Jacques Derrida, Literary Critic (1984): The treatment of atomic war in literature can only be a hypothesis, as its actual occurrence would destroy any semantic system capable of describing it.

Storm Clouds Fascism. Post-war Europe decided to punish Germany heavily for its instigation of the war. This pushed Germany into such ruin that in its chaos Hitler and National Socialism gained credibility. Partly inspired by German Romanticism and nationalism, the pseudo-science of Darwinian evolution of the fittest race, and vague economic socialism, Hitler was an anti-Christian and anti-Jewish dictator who used the new tools of propaganda and technology to build a terror state.

Storm Clouds Communism. In Russia communist rebels established a totalitarian communist state, The Soviet Union, also managed by the repressive use of industrial technologies. Lenin and Stalin crushed dissent and opposing forces such as churches and intellectual elites, building gulags and prison camps. As western democracies fell into economic depression in the 1930’s, Huxley would have seen the world in a bad state where European nations were falling into systems of rule favoring the dictator and state over the individual. Ford himself was no liberal democrat, endorsing the substitution of the engineer for the politician as “a very natural step forward.”

World War II (1939-45) Deadliest conflict in human history About 85 million deaths Involves 30 countries in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia “Allies”: England, USSR, USA, China “Axis”: Germany, Japan, Italy Technological innovations of radar, computing; but also atomic bomb

World War II (1939-45) Because of mass conscripted and volunteer armies, and because of civilian attacks and the economic burden of industrial war, everyone is affected. To this day there are economic, political, and demographic consequences of World War II.

England at 1945: Rebuilding Although the war is won in April 1945, England sustained heavy damage and loss of life from German bombings. J.K. Rowling lost her mother and disliked her father, but it’s not surprising that being orphaned is a literary theme in postwar British literature.

England at 1945: Cynicism and Loss WWII is not as heavy a blow to western civilization as WWI, but physically the English cities are badly damaged. As soldiers return, social and economic problems mount. Rationing continues. Winston Churchill, after leading the country during the war, is defeated in election. Intellectually, the ideologies of the war (Fascism; Communism; Holocaust; propaganda) and the bomb are difficult questions for humanity

Animal Farm – George Orwell (1945) - Violent political fable Meanwhile life was hard. Once again all rations were reduced, except those of the pigs and the dogs. A too rigid equality in rations, Squealer explained, would have been contrary to the principles of Animalism. In any case he had no difficulty in proving to the other animals that they were not in reality short of food, whatever the appearances might be. For the time being, certainly, it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations (Squealer always spoke of it as a "readjustment," never as a "reduction"), but in comparison with the days of Jones, the improvement was enormous. The animals believed every word of it. Truth to tell, Jones and all he stood for had almost faded out of their memories. They knew that life nowadays was harsh and bare, that they were often hungry and often cold, and that they were usually working when they were not asleep. But doubtless it had been worse in the old days. Animal Farm – George Orwell (1945) - Violent political fable

William Golding 1911-1993 Prolific author of novels and science fiction Served in the Navy in WW II Was a school teacher in England

Lord of the Flies (1954) “There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy.” Alfred Henry Lewis (1906) What are people really like without rules and laws?

Warner Brothers all-female movie version, 2018 Golding himself, a teacher of boys, said that a group of girls would never be so barbarous because women “are far superior to men and always have been.” Is there something inherently “male” about LoF, or does it just depict the underside of our animal natures?