The Darkest Fairy Tale
By William Golding
UK, 1954
Allegory, Speculative, YA
Main Attractions
1. So dark, it’s unnerving
2. Heavily cliched and parodied
3. About the decent of humankind
4. Includes the rarest taboos
5. Simplest storytelling
6. Rich in symbols
7. Boys started out so innocent!
8. Set on a tropical island
9. Unforgettable tale
10. Widely adapted variations of it.
Cuisine & Delicacies
Ranked as: Ghost Pepper BBQ Ribs
This book starts out like a simple fairy tale. It’s short and simple like Animal Farm and can be read in a few hours. But the events spiral down so far and so fast that you’ll be left in a heap on the floor. I think it’s so unnerving because it’s about the descent of boys.
This brings up such rich questions, are children less civilized than adults? Is human nature inherently dark? Is that our natural state, and civilization guards us from it?
Destination Summary
Spoilers Abound!! A very detailed summary of the book and it’s analysis by Thug Notes.
Travel Advisory:
The book starts out innocent enough. It’s a simplified version of Plato’s The Republic! But then it quickly descends into the darkest taboos known to humankind. Nothing is graphically described, but somehow Golding captures the action in the boy’s dialogue. There are some graphically described scenes that could be unsettling. The scenes are short and only take a couple of pages, feel free to skip and read the rest of this marvellous book.
Packing List
✓ Conch Shell or Ocean Souvenir
✓ Decorative Glasses or Hamlet Skull for Effect
✓ Map & Compass for Times of Meditation
Recommended Resources:
Film Adaptations:
✓ Directed by Harry Hook (1990) - Fairly good adaptation, in colour and stays true to the plot.
✓ Directed by Peter Brook (1963) - Superior adaptation, in black & white, seems more intense.
Alternate Books:
✓ Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951) - Coming of age thoughts of a lost teen
✓ Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1866) - About the psychological after effects of a crime.
✓ Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)- Extremely unnerving book about a widespread problem that’s a taboo
✓ The Monk by Matthew G. Lewis (1796)- His descent, includes taboos galore & forces the question, why do we read lit?
By William Golding
UK, 1954
Allegory, Speculative, YA
Main Attractions
2. Heavily cliched and parodied
3. About the decent of humankind
4. Includes the rarest taboos
5. Simplest storytelling
6. Rich in symbols
7. Boys started out so innocent!
8. Set on a tropical island
9. Unforgettable tale
10. Widely adapted variations of it.
Cuisine & Delicacies
Ranked as: Ghost Pepper BBQ Ribs
This book starts out like a simple fairy tale. It’s short and simple like Animal Farm and can be read in a few hours. But the events spiral down so far and so fast that you’ll be left in a heap on the floor. I think it’s so unnerving because it’s about the descent of boys.
This brings up such rich questions, are children less civilized than adults? Is human nature inherently dark? Is that our natural state, and civilization guards us from it?
Destination Summary
Spoilers Abound!! A very detailed summary of the book and it’s analysis by Thug Notes.
Travel Advisory:
The book starts out innocent enough. It’s a simplified version of Plato’s The Republic! But then it quickly descends into the darkest taboos known to humankind. Nothing is graphically described, but somehow Golding captures the action in the boy’s dialogue. There are some graphically described scenes that could be unsettling. The scenes are short and only take a couple of pages, feel free to skip and read the rest of this marvellous book.
Packing List
✓ Conch Shell or Ocean Souvenir
✓ Decorative Glasses or Hamlet Skull for Effect
✓ Map & Compass for Times of Meditation
Recommended Resources:
Film Adaptations:
✓ Directed by Harry Hook (1990) - Fairly good adaptation, in colour and stays true to the plot.
✓ Directed by Peter Brook (1963) - Superior adaptation, in black & white, seems more intense.
Alternate Books:
✓ Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951) - Coming of age thoughts of a lost teen
✓ Crime & Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky (1866) - About the psychological after effects of a crime.
✓ Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)- Extremely unnerving book about a widespread problem that’s a taboo
✓ The Monk by Matthew G. Lewis (1796)- His descent, includes taboos galore & forces the question, why do we read lit?
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