Rites of Passage (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: William Golding
- First Published: 1980
- Type of Work: Moral parable
- Time of Work: Early nineteenth century, after the Napoleonic era
- Setting: Aboard an aged ship-of-the-line that had fought in the Napoleonic wars, en route from England to the Antipodes
- Principal Characters: Edmund Talbot, The Reverend James Robert Colley, Captain Anderson, Lieutenant Deverel, Lieutenant Summers, Lieutenant Cumbershum, Mr. Prettiman, Miss Granham, Miss Zenobia Brocklebank, Mr. Brocklebank, Mr. Wheeler, Billy Rogers
- Genres: Long fiction, Parable
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Voyages, Sex or sexuality, Nineteenth century, Christianity, Death or dying, Good and evil, Ships, Sailing or sailors, Atonement
- Locales: England, Antipodes
The Novel
In his travel journal, young Edmund Talbot records for his godfather—a highly placed nobleman not otherwise identified—his impressions during the passage of a sea voyage from a port in the South of England to a vague destination in the Antipodes. Talbot’s ship, also unidentified, is a converted man-of-war, an ancient vessel that had served during the Napoleonic wars but now carries passengers—those of the higher rank above and the lower classes below decks, along with a crew of naval officers. Among these officers are Captain Anderson, whom Talbot at first...
[The entire page is 2437 words long]
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