Mark Roth
Ms. Romano
Lost Horizon--Blog Post #1
May 4th, 2015
Lost Horizon -- Found Identity
Although Lost
Horizon by James Hilton may not be considered a classic piece of
literature, Hilton creates a unique environment with complex characters that
are still relevant today. The people of Shangri-La, a community that has
assumed the role of a modern paradise, all live in harmonious utopia.
This fictional society is often mentioned in modern culture, but rarely
does an explanation follow. Shangri-La
has come to represent something greater than both Lost Horizon and James Hilton, and so I was curious to uncover its
source of origin.
The four
passengers who are ‘kidnapped’ to Shangri-La each have distinct
characteristics. Miss Roberta Brinklow
of the Eastern Mission follows preaches Christianity, yet has a touch of
independence evidenced by the fact that she left her old job because she,
“disagreed with them about infant baptism” (44). Henry D. Barnard is an American who is
courteous and questioning but remains to be developed more. Charles Mallinson is a young Englishman who
is very opinionated but naïve. Hugh
Conway is a larger-than-life character that is heroic even though he admits to
having insecurities. Each character
seems to be based off of a stereotype, yet has a unique, individualizing
feature. I am both curious and excited
to see how each character reacts when placed in this utopia.
Possible Research Topics:
One instance that
caught my attention occurs when the pilot is beginning his descent to
land. The plane “lurched” forward and
“Conway’s head struck the window, dazing him for the moment” (45). Although it does not pertain directly to an
important instance in the text, I immediately thought that it described a
concussion. This lead to a thought-trail
where I thought about the changing regulations on concussions and how the
sports world has seen such a drastic change in perspective on player
safety. Although I’m not that invested
in researching this topic, it is certainly an option.
My second topic thus
far arose during Conway’s fascination of the Karakal Mountain. He claims it is the “loveliest mountain on
earth” and appreciates its quiet stature (47).
However, he also recognizes that it is the “most terrifying
mountainscape in the world” (62). The
recognition that the mountain has both captivating and destructive aspects is a
very complex thought, and one that I hope Hilton expands on. That is an idea that is almost exclusive to
nature. Many animals share the
characteristic where an attractive feature leads to a dangerous one. Whether it is an octopus’ faux food, or a
moth that is lethally attracted to a fire, attraction and destruction goes hand
in hand in nature. Although it may be a
natural instinct, I am curious to how it unfolds in Lost Horizon.
I think that this blog post is interesting because of what you are planning on researching. I think that the connection you made between the pilot being apparently concussed, with concussion regulations in the sports world is fascinating because you could look into the ramifications of a concussion, and the safety precautions involved: this could give you a different perspective of the book. Furthermore, I like how you look into the juxtaposition of the mountain being both “lovely” and “terrifying,” and how you are planning to relate this idea to real life. By doing this, I believe that you can get a better grasp on what the author is trying to illustrate -- James Hilton could be trying to say something much bigger about the propensity of nature/humans with this comparison.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am a little confuzzled on why you put the word "kidnaped" in quotes (no pun intended). I am guessing that this has something to do with the idea that the characters weren't actually kidnaped, but I might need a clarification on the exact plot of the novel. You spoke about the characters a lot, but the plot is still blurry.
Something else that I believe you could look at is the idea of “utopian societies” in real life. I remember in history last year that the United States had a time in their history where many scholars and transcendentalists were trying to come up with “utopian communities” in the 1840’s. This would also be interesting to look into and compare to the community in the book.
I think that your ideas are very interesting, and the book sounds intriguing as well. Keep it up!
I do think you need your research to not be tangential to your reading. It sounds like there are so many other interesting things -- you know, like Shangri-la itself? the ideas of utopia, and Ethan was right, what with the irony of being kidnapped to paradise?
ReplyDelete