A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens

Rating: 5/5

Lost References:

This book shares a title with a Jack episode. The title, according to a podcast by Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, refers to the two main Island settlements – of the Losties and the Others. Also, Desmond’s read it.

Thoughts:

Unrequited, sacrificial love and mindless, bloody hatred. This novel touches on some pretty big themes and does so with dignity and style.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge – Ambrose Bierce

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

WARNING: MORE THAN USUAL SPOILERS

Locke looks through this book, possibly for loose papers. Also, the majority of the book is part flashback, part flash-sideways. I don’t know if it’s significant that Locke’s the one looking through it because the book’s main character is killed by hanging while Locke himself supposedly dies by hanging (and he would have for real if Ben hadn’t stepped in and strangled him instead).

Thoughts:

Really, everything that there is to say about the book, I said above. It has its plot but little else. No depth. I was a little sad when the character turned out to be dying, but at the same time, I expected it.

Julius Caesar – William Shakespeare

Rating: 5/5

Lost References:

Sawyer says “You too, Brutus,” to Locke, a translation of Caesar’s famous “Et tu, Brute” to Brutus. And the sentiment is echoed throughout Lost as everyone double-crosses each other. For one, a character named Caesar is killed by someone he thinks is a friend.

Thoughts:

I wonder why this play’s listed with the tragedies and not the histories. Yes, it’s tragic, but it’s based on real people and events, and I think that trumps it. I understand the man did his research by reading Brutus’s section in Plutarch’s Lives. Having read PL, I can at least confirm that they’re pretty similar, and to my mind, both enjoyable. But of course, Shakespeare’s play has more life and much, much more dialogue. That’s what plays are: mostly dialogue. Anyway, I have to say, I loved this play. Shakespeare does what he does best, and that’s characters. He fleshes out people and their motivations and manages to keep the plot going. If there’s one thing I have to say against the play, the beginning of Act IV does lag a bit. Just after Caesar dies and before everyone gets into the battles, the characters have some down time. Other than that: brilliant. Also, the best interpretation of a Shakespeare character I’ve ever seen is James Mason’s Brutus in the 1953 film of this play.

Catch-22 – Joseph Heller

Rating: 3/5

Lost References:

Desmond Hume finds a Brazilian Portuguese copy of this book (titled Ardil-22) in the episode “Catch-22.” The title is appropriate for this episode, as it’s centered around Desmond, who was himself quite confused during his brief stint in the military. (His mind was jumping in time. What excuse does Yossarian have for his fragmented storytelling?) The Portuguese book belongs to the multilingual Naomi. It falls out of her bag when her helicopter crashes. (Oh, crashes are pretty common in Catch-22.)

My Thoughts:

I borrowed this book from a friend who is absolutely in love with it. Sorry, Carolyn, I don’t love it as much as you do, but I still enjoyed reading it. Definitely, I enjoyed the clever word play. I was also pretty pleased with Orr by the end, doing all those odd things that turned out to be intentional.

The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis

Rating: 5/5

Lost References:

Charlotte Staples Lewis takes her name from Clive Staples Lewis, the author. There is a DHARMA station where Eloise works called The Lamp Post, which is an important marker in the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Narnia is a hidden world that only certain people can enter, much like the Island. In the Narnia books, Aslan usually brings in the visitors, and on the Island, it’s Jacob. Actually, on the LA X audio commentary, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have fun comparing Aslan and Jacob. (They decide Aslan would win in a fight.)

Damon Lindelof: You know what Aslan needs? Daddy issues.

Thoughts:

This series has long been one that holds great nostalgia for me, largely because of the old BBC movies, I have to admit. Whenever my dad would go away on business trips, my sister and I would camp downstairs on the hide-a-bed and pop one of the tapes in. True, the special effects were less than special, but I forgive them. Walden Media has, apparently, not forgiven them, for the effects are the main strength of the new movies. The first was a really spectacular remake; I absolutely loved it. The cast was variable. I loved their new Lucy – she had naivety in place of whininess. The new Tumnus was actually likeable. The White Witch, unfortunately, was personality-less. Just like Prince Caspian in the new Prince Caspian movie, which had far more angst and inter-king conflict than was necessary.

But enough about the movies. The books are also wonderful – there are seven of them, all unique fantasy adventures. C.S. Lewis evidently didn’t run out of ideas. If they were longer (and in poetry form), I’d probably call them epics, based on how much time they cover in the world of Narnia (which passes much more quickly than time in our world). They also deal with mythic themes and battles. But as it is, they’re children’s stories which partially serve as Christian allegories on different subjects, in the different books.