1. Lord of the Flies
William Golding

2. Literary Terms Plot Diagram Setting: time and place
Exposition
Inciting Moment
Rising Action
Climax/Turning Point
Falling Action
Denouement
Setting: time and place
Mood: feeling or atmosphere that the author creates
Tone: author’s attitude towards a subject
Protagonist: Central character of the story – should go through a change in the story
Antagonist: character or force that works against the protagonist
Characterization: techniques used to develop characters
Physical description
What a character says/does
Other characters
Narrator’s comments

3. Literary Terms
Theme: The central idea or message in a work of literature – not to be confused with the plot – theme is a perception about the human condition that is shared with the reader
Human condition: physical, emotional, and spiritual components of human existence shared by all
Conflict: struggle between opposing forces
Person v person
Person v nature
Person v society/machine
Person v God
Person v self (internal)
Foil: a character who provides a striking contrast to another character

4. Literary Terms
Imagery: words and phrases that create vivid sensory images
Foreshadowing: Hints and clues of events that will occur later in the story
Motif: reoccurring ideas
Symbolism: person place or object that represents something beyond itself
Allegory: a story in which every object is a symbol – used to teach
Microcosm: a small group of people that are symbolic of how the author is trying to portray society

5. Why So Many Literary Terms?
Authors use literary devices (terms) in order to better communicate their themes.
What is the theme of Lord of the Flies?
“The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature.”
~William Golding

6. William Golding Born in 1911 in Cromwell, England
Father was a teacher, and a scientist
Mother stayed at home and dabbled in woman’s rights
Went to college at Oxford and started by studying science.

7. William Golding After two years he changed his major to English
After college he was a writer, actor, and playwright
Married in 1939 to Ann Brookfield, a scientist herself
Then Golding became an English teacher

8. William Golding During World War II he served in the Royal Navy
Present when the Bismarck was sunk
Saw action against battleships, submarines, and aircraft
Took his ship to France on D-Day
“But I went through war and that changed me.”

9. Lord of the Flies Motifs: Themes presented in the novel:
Biblical parallels
The bullying of the weak by the strong
The outward trappings of savagery (face paint, spears, etc.)
Themes presented in the novel:
Civilization v Savagery
Loss of Innocence
Innate human evil