Novels of William Golding - A Critical Study

Contents: Preface. 1. The problem of evil. 2. The early works. 3. The middle order works. 4. The later works. 5. Conclusion. Bibliography.

From the Preface: "The twentieth century will be best remembered perhaps for its two world wars and the accelerated degree of social movements and moral dilemmas which they brought in their wake. Increasing knowledge on various fronts-psychological, economical, philosophical, anthropological etc led only to an increase in moral unease and strengthening of the notion that religion and ethical systems are relative rather than absolute. The myth of a universal human nature was finally exploded. Thinking men started questioning the belief in the essential rightness of western ways of behaviour.

It was in such an atmosphere of intellectual ferment that William Golding started writing. War experiences gave him a chance of observing the melee of humanity, at close quarters. The brutalities of war drove home to him the savagery, cruelty and lust inherent in man\'s nature. With this, Golding firmly came to believe that man is tainted with evil. This very philosophical drift was to become the basis of his novels."