Books: Human Geometry

THE PYRAMID by William Golding. 183 pages. Harcourt, Brace & World. $4.50.

William Golding is a philosophical novelist whose moral theorems in hu man geometry are demonstrated with severe economy. His originality lies in his ability to trace complex psychological diagrams within the traditional form of the novel without technical stunts or verbal virtuosity. His art concerns extreme situations and final choices.

Hitherto, Golding has preferred to present his characters almost as abstractions. Lord of the Flies was a laboratory demonstration of original sin taking place on a rather unreal island; The Two Deaths...

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