Good grief : Lord of the Flies as a post-war rewriting of salvation history
Golding's Lord of the Flies, first published in 1954, reflects a bleak sense of post-war pessimism. But with undue attention focused on its portrayal of original sin and the problem of evil, readings have often remained reductive. In this article it is argued that the novel's symbolic narrative is polysemic and, when it is read as anagogic myth, may be seen to span Judaeo-Christian Heilsgeschichte or salvation history, rewriting its chapters of creation, Fall, the problem of evil, the failure of law, the hope of salvation, the mission of a messianic figure, and - in the clearest departure from the Biblical narrative - an ambiguous representation of his return. This study examines the novel's often paradoxical symbolism using Frye's phases of anagogic myth, with its poles of apocalyptic and demonic imagery. It traces the relation of symbols to their counterparts in Biblical narratives, drawn in particular from the symbolic writings of the origin and end of humanity, to elucidate Golding's bleak but certainly not hopeless rewriting of the salvation story for a post-faith readership.
Lord of the Flies as 'n na-oorlogse herskrywing van die heilsgeskiedenis
Lord of the Flies deur William Golding het in 1954 verskyn en weerspieel die na-oorlogse pessimisme van hierdie tyd. Hierdie roman word dikwels simplisties gelees as 'n vertelling behep met erfsonde en die kwaad. Die simboliese verhaal is egter meer kompleks en kan as 'n religieuse mite verstaan word wat die hele heilsgeskiedenis, die skepping, sondeval, die kwaad, die mislukking van die wet, die hoop op verlossing, en die roeping van die Messias oorvertel, asook - in 'n duidelike afwyking van die Bybelverhaal - 'n dubbelsinnige uitbeelding van sy terugkeer behels. Die artikel ondersoek die dikwels paradoksale simboliek van die roman aan die hand van Northrop Frye se fases van die anagogiese mite, met apokaliptiese en demoniese beelde as teenpole. In die artikel word die verwysings van die roman se simboliek na die Bybel ook nagegaan - veral die simboliese verhale van die mens se begin en einde. Sodoende word gepoog om aan te toon hoe Golding die heilsverhaal vir post-Christelike lesers op 'n somber wyse, maar tog nie sonder hoop nie, herskryf.

Good grief : Lord of the Flies as a post-war rewriting of salvation history : research article

William Golding's Lord of the Flies (1954)

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