Course Hero. "On the Beach Study Guide." Course Hero. 18 Jan. 2018. Web. 2 June 2020. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/On-the-Beach/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
APA
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2018, January 18). On the Beach Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 2, 2020, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/On-the-Beach/
In text
(Course Hero, 2018)
Chicago
Bibliography
Course Hero. "On the Beach Study Guide." January 18, 2018. Accessed June 2, 2020. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/On-the-Beach/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "On the Beach Study Guide," January 18, 2018, accessed June 2, 2020, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/On-the-Beach/.
Overview
Author
Nevil Shute
Year Published
1957
Type
Novel
Genre
Science Fiction
Perspective and Narrator
The events of On the Beach are described by an omniscient third-person narrator.
Tense
On the Beach is written in the past tense.
About the Title
The title On the Beach is taken from the novel's epigraph, which cites lines from British writer T.S. Eliot's poem "The Hollow Men." In these lines people gather along the shore of a "tumid river"—an allusion to the River Styx of Greek mythology, which the dead cross to arrive in Hades. This is the "last of meeting places" where the dead await their journey to the Underworld. The phrase on the beach also aligns with British naval slang meaning "retired from the service" or "awaiting reassignment." Both poetic and slang use of the phrase aptly apply to the novel's characters and the situation they face.
This study guide and infographic for Nevil Shute's On the Beach offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.
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