Lord of the Flies: Background

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Congratulations on starting the journey of a novel study!

This is the first lesson in the study of the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. There will be ten lessons covering the details of the novel, all found in the right-hand sidebar under Related Lessons.

To create the best understanding of any novel, it is important to understand the context of the novel.

Context is the surroundings, circumstances, and background that determine the meaning of the story. Knowing the events that played an important role in Golding's life — that led him to write Lord of the Flies — will help you better understand what he may have been thinking when he was writing the novel.

Similarly, being aware of what was going on in the world around Golding when the novel was written will also help you understand his reasoning within his writing.

Watch the three videos below to build your understanding of William Golding, Lord of the Flies, and the world in 1954.

As you can see from the information in these videos, Golding's life experiences helped shape his novel.

His experience as a teacher helped him portray the boys in Lord of the Flies more realistically, and his observations during World War II created the pessimistic viewpoint of society that is felt throughout the novel.

Continue on to the Got It? section to review what you've learned and predict what will happen in the book!