11 An outline of British literature

• Ninety Eighty-Four (1984) - The story of Winston Smith presents the world in the year 1984, after a global atomic war, via his perception of life in Airstrip One (England or Britain), a province of Oceania, one of the world's three superstates; his intellectual rebellion against the Party and prohibited romance with Julia; and his consequent imprisonment, interrogation, torture, and re-education by the Thinkpol (Thought Police) in the Miniluv (Ministry of love). The Ministry of Love enforces loyalty and love of Big Brother through fear, a repression, and brainwashing.

SIR WILLIAM GERALD GOLDING 1911-1993

• A British novelist, poet, and playwright

• Nobel Prize for Literature laureate

• He was a writer who in each of his works dealt with the struggle between the good and the evil in the minds of men

• Best known for his novel Lord of the Flies

• Lord of the Flies – a novel about a group of British schoolboys stuck on a deserted island after a plane crash. British plane crashes on an isolated island. The only survivors are male children below age 13. There are two dominant characters Ralph and Jack. Ralph embodies good intentions, responsibility, honesty, does not like violence. Jack represents the desire for absolute power. The younger boys believe the island is inhabited by a "monster" (the Beast) and Jack promises to kill it. Jack wants to kill Ralph and become the leader. The fire and smoke attract the attention of a nearby warship and a naval officer brings the children's fighting to an abrupt halt. In the final scene, although now certain he will be rescued after all, Ralph cries.

• The Lord of the Flies is literally a pig's head that has been cut off by Jack, put on a stick sharpened at both ends, stuck in the ground, and offered to the "beast". In addition, the name "Lord of the Flies" is the literal English translation of Beelzebub, a demonic figure that is often considered synonymous with Satan. The theme of this story is an attempt to trace the defects of society and human nature.

J. K. ROWLING 1965 -

• A British author best known as the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series

• Rowling got the idea for writing the series on a train trip from Manchester to London in 1990

• The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won many awards, sold over 400 million copies and been the basis for a popular series of films.

• Fearing that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name (Joanne Rowling). As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother (Kathleen)

• Harry Potter - a series of 7 fantasy novels; the books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

• The main story arc concerns the evil wizard Lord Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents in his quest to conquer the wizarding world and subjugate non-magical people (Muggles).

• Harry Potter and …