The Spire

About “The Spire”

The Spire is a 1964 novel by William Golding. It follows the construction of a 404-foot-high spire, inspired by Salisbury Cathedral, through the perspective of the fictional Dean Jocelin. The story explores Jocelin’s determination to complete the spire despite opposition and personal struggles. Golding uses stream-of-consciousness writing and an omniscient but unreliable narrator to depict Jocelin’s downfall as he prioritizes his own will over divine guidance. The novel presents a complex portrayal of ambition, faith, and human fallibility. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)