The Coral Island (1858) is a novel written by Scottish author R. M. Ballantyne. One of the first works of juvenile fiction to feature exclusively juvenile heroes, the story relates the adventures of three boys marooned on a South Pacific island, the only survivors of a shipwreck. A typical Robinsonade – a genre inspired by Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe – and one of the most popular of its type, the book first went on sale in late 1857 and has never been out of print. Among the novel's major themes are 19th-century British imperialism in the South Pacific, the civilising effect of Christianity, and the importance of hierarchy and leadership. It was the inspiration for William Golding's dystopian novel Lord of the Flies (1954), which inverted the morality of The Coral Island. The novel was considered a classic for primary school children of the early 20th century in Britain, and in the United States it was a staple of suggested reading lists for high-school students. Modern critics consider The Coral Island to feature a dated imperialist view of the world. It was adapted into a four-part children's television drama broadcast by ITV in 2000.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coral_Island
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
998:
Arab–Byzantine wars: After an initial Byzantine victory in the Battle of Apamea a lone Kurdish rider managed to kill Byzantine commander Damian Dalassenos, allowing Fatimid troops to turn the tide of the battle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Apamea
1545:
The English warship Mary Rose sank just outside Portsmouth during the Battle of the Solent; it was not rediscovered until 1971. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Rose
1848:
The two-day Women's Rights Convention, the first women's rights and feminist convention held in the United States, opened in Seneca Falls, New York. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Falls_Convention
1947:
Burmese nationalist Aung San and six members of his newly formed cabinet were assassinated during a cabinet meeting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San
1997:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army permanently resumed its ceasefire to end its 25-year campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army_campaign_1969%E2%80%9397
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
reliquary: A container to hold or display religious relics. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reliquary
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered, but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way, lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley. But always, if we have faith, a door will open for us, not perhaps one that we ourselves would ever have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us. --A. J. Cronin https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/A._J._Cronin