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>
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