I do like people to read the books twice, because I write my novels about ideas which concern me deeply and I think are important, and therefore I want people to take them seriously. And to read it twice of course is taking it seriously.
Interpretation
Golding emphasizes the importance of deeply engaging with literature by reading books multiple times.
In this quote, William Golding expresses his desire for readers to fully engage with his novels, which are rooted in ideas he finds significant. By encouraging multiple readings, he highlights that true understanding and appreciation of literary works come from a serious and reflective approach to the material, allowing readers to grasp the deeper meanings and themes inherent in his writing.
In practice
During a book club discussion about Golding's work, a member might suggest, 'As Golding advises, we should consider reading this book twice to uncover deeper meanings.'
Consider a man riding a bicycle. Whoever he is, we can say three things about him. We know he got on the bicycle and started to move. We know that at some point he will stop and get off. Most important of all, we know that if at any point between the beginning and the end of his journey he stops moving and does not get off the bicycle he will fall off it. That is a metaphor for the journey through life of any living thing, and I think of any society of living things.
The skull regarded Ralph like one who knows all the answers and won't tell.
Maybe, he said hesitantly, maybe there is a beast. The assembly cried out savagely and Ralph stood up in amazement. You, Simon? You believe in this? I don't know, said Simon. His heartbeats were choking him. [...] Ralph shouted. Hear him! He's got the conch! What I mean is . . . maybe it's only us. Nuts! That was from Piggy, shocked out of decorum.
The mask was a thing on it's own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-conciousness.
Man produces evil as a bee produces honey.
Utopias are presented for our inspection as a critique of the human state.
It's in being read that a book becomes a book, and in each of a million different readings a book become one of a million different books . . .
If you read quickly to get through a poem to what it means, you have missed the body of the poem.
Poe was the first writer to write about main characters who were bad guys or who were mad guys, and those are some of my favorite stories.
I think that what's unique about sci-fi - at least from the view of a lot of Chinese writers - is that sci-fi is least-rooted in the particular culture that they're writing from.
Every great literature has always been allegorical - allegorical of some view of the whole universe. The 'Iliad' is only great because all life is a battle, the 'Odyssey' because all life is a journey, the Book of Job because all life is a riddle.
I've written some standalone novels, but a book series allows fans in. There's much more intense involvement.
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