The Lost Book Club

Season 3 of ABC’s Lost begins in a little while so the project to read all of the books shown and referenced on the show (according to the list on Wikipedia) that my wife and I started back in May is officially over. I read the following (links go to my reviews and theories):

I haven’t yet finished The Brothers Karamazov, and I never got to Our Mutual Friend, but I will finish the former and read the latter.

I discovered some great works and rediscovered others. I tended to look at them in terms of Lost‘s big thematic issues (faith vs reason, finding purpose and renewal, leadership, starting over) and also as a way to explore various theories (they’re all dead, they’re in an alternate world/reality, psychic experimentation, human evolution, remaking the world).

In short…

Faith vs. reason: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; The Brothers Karamazov; Lord of the Flies; Wrinkle in Time

Leadership: Lord of the Flies; Watership Down

Starting over: Lord of the Flies; Watership Down; Lancelot; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Finding purpose and renewal: Wrinkle in Time; Lancelot; Bad Twin; Wizard of Oz; Watership Down; Epic of Gilgamesh

Alternate realities/New Worlds: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”; Wrinkle in Time; Heart of Darkness; Wizard of Oz; Third Policeman; Alice in Wonderland

Unreliable narration: The Turn of the Screw; “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”; Lancelot; Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret

There are many other common themes and issues as well as many other connections between these books and Lost. The thing that really sticks out in my mind is how impressively the show uses literature to expand its own themes.

I look forward to seeing what works appear in Season 3, but I’m not sure I’ll read and blog each one. I know A Tale of Two Cities is the title of one episode, but I don’t know that I’ll reread it.