The Spire in ‘Top 10 Buildings in Fiction’

The Spire has been included in David Annand’s list of the Top 10 Buildings in Fiction. Published as part of the Guardian’s ongoing ‘Top 10’ series, Annand calls The Spire a ‘visionary masterpiece’. He emphasises the importance of structures in a range of books, writing that ‘buildings have done an awful lot of work in many a fiction, shaping and expressing characters’ lives, concretising themes, rooting narratives in time and place.’ The cathedral in Golding’s novel reflects the grandeur of Dean Jocelin’s delusions and madness, and also the catastrophic consequences of his desires.