Product Description

Dean Jocelin has a vision that God has chosen him to erect a great spire on his cathedral. The masons anxiously advise against it, and things have happened around the cathedral which it is better not to question men too closely about. But, without foundations, the spire rises octagon upon octagon, pinnacle by pinnacle, until the stone pillars shriek and the ground beneath it swims. Its shadow falls darkly on the world below, and most darkly on the Dean himself. The Spire is an impressively powerful portrait of one man's possessed will, and of the towering folly he creates

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #372510 in Books
• Published on: 1997-07-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

About the Author
William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911 and educated at Marlborough Grammar School and at Brasenose College, Oxford. He joined the Royal Navy in 1940 and witnessed the sinking of the Bismarck. He won the Booker Prize for Rites of Passage in 1980, and was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1983. He died in 1993

Customer Reviews

This is truly the most outstanding book I have ever read.
Golding achieves something masterful with The Spire. That a book of such incredible complexity can be made so simple is testament to his skill.
It tells the tale of Jocelin, a Mediaeval priest who believes God has asked him to add a spire to the cathedral of which he is dean. This is the only plot line, but as the narrative progresses we see how such a simple beginnings can have such terrible and far-reaching consequences. Golding uses narrative techniques in an incredibly unique way, creating drama and tension, and promoting in the reader a whole range of emotional responses. Please read this book.

A deep but enjoyable novel from a fantastic author
I must first point out by saying that I am currently studying this text as part of my A-level in English literature, therefore I have read into this text in a much greater level of detail than a recreational reader may be inclined to do so. That said, the ambiguous nature of this novel is not for fans of lighter literature and I would expect that the vast majority of those who are purchasing this book read to a standard which equals, even surpassing, the level at which A-level students read to.

On one level, The Spire is about the building of a spire upon a cathedral, widely believed to be Salisbury Cathedral, the foundations of which are lacking. The text explores the resilience of weak foundations; holding a spire which scientifically it is judged impossible for them to do.

The novel is used to explore a prominent issue in Golding's life; faith versus fact. We as a reader are never told whether or not the spire does eventually fall, allowing us to reach our on conclusion on which of the above two are the most trustworthy.

It may also be possible that Golding uses this novel to explore the lack of faith in the Catholic Church. Jocelin, the dean of the cathedral in which The Spire is set, seems to be a very hypocritical man with vast contrasts between his actions and the dogma of the Christian faith. He is arrogant and deluded and is driven by an almost orgasm-chasing force towards the building of the spire. Eventually, due to the neglecting of his faith, he is driven both physically and mentally ill and eventually dies.

The novel explores many other themes; feminism, sexuality, fertility, paganism and delusion to name a few. Beautifully written, the complicated co-ordination of syntax and the overuse of poetic ambiguities may be a shock to readers of Golding's other works, primarily Lord of The Flies, thus rendering it quite inaccessible to more leisurely readers.

The exploration of relevant social themes and the amazing literary construction of this book make it a joy to read. The choice in reaching one's own decisions about the significance of the text is seldom granted in literature, but by allowing us this choice, Golding permits the novel to be thought provoking yet incredibly enjoyable.

Writing in pictures
This book has, in my opinion, a surreal quality. I can't speak about it in the artistic terms used by some of your other reviewers. I didn't consider what it had to say about man's condition. I only know it was fascinating to read, a story which you felt was written in pictures, and I don't mean that it is a graphic novel! (if you like graphic novels you probably will NOT like William Golding).
The dean, Jocelin, is a man with such religious faith that he ignores sense and the warnings of his master builder and others. He goes ahead and adds a spire to a cathedral whch had never been built to support a spire. The result throughout the book is not a dry, technical account of the construction process, although there are plenty of references to real-life engineering to keep you happy if you are interested. It is not about religion, either. Mainly this book is about obsession and blind faith and above all, about people. The tension builds throughout as you will Jocelin on to further indiscretion for the sake of the drama.Your nerves tighten like the overloaded "screaming stones". It doesn't spell out every action in a he-did-this-and-then-she-did-that fashion. Golding does't write in that way. But if you like to have your brain stirred up a bit, to have to think a bit when you read, then this is for you.
I don't think that you have to read Golding's other books to appreciate this one, as someone suggested. You either love Golding or you don't get along with him. My wife can't read most of his books. I believe that The Spire may be his best book.
Actually, I've read it several times. I don't mind admitting that I am still not sure if the spire collapses or not. It just doesn't matter. Perhaps Mr Golding was having a laugh at our expense. He knew that we would waffle amongst ourselves about the underlying meaning of it all, when there is just a good story. Whether the spire stays or falls is not the point. You could do worse than read it and try to work it out for yourself.