An Ecological Interpretation Of Lost Horizon

In 1933, Macmillan published Lost Horizon written by James Hilton, and to the surprise of both the publisher and the writer, this novel had no sooner come out than great popularity was strongly and unexpectedly gained. It was so successful that not only did many critics express a warm welcome, but it also made the writer win a Hawthornden Prize, a prize equivalent to Pulitzer Prize. The novel tells a mysterious story about the fantastic journey of four westerners led by Conway in Shangri-La after their plane has been hijacked flying from Baskul towards Tibet, China. In this book, Hilton coined a word, "Shangri-La", a paradise-resembling place. More importantly, Shangri-La is represented to readers as an ecological paradise full of harmony, peace and breath-taking natural beauty.However, since its birth, most of the study and criticism of the fiction has been narrowly confined to the domain of utopianism, some much deeper underlying meanings and more precious contributions beneath this masterpiece still remain even untouched. Further study and more creative interpretation of the book and its new functions in the 21st century are still needed. More scholars and critics ought to study it from new perspectives and in terms of newly emerged literary theories.Ecocriticism is a relatively new literary theory formed in 1970s. Its mission is to reevaluate and criticize human civilization to discover how human mind, culture and social pattern are influencing and even determining human behaviors and attitudes towards nature. Meanwhile, this focus also reveals the essential quality and the most important task of ecocriticism as a literary theory in the 21st century.The writer of this dissertation intends to try to interpret this work in terms of ecocriticism so that a wider and deeper understanding of the writer's ecological worries could be built and enriched to a greater degree. An equally remarkable attention is paid to the complex relationship of wars, humanity and nature in terms of ecocriticism so as to bring to light Hilton's undiscovered awareness of ecology and his ecological thought which is deeply expressed in Lost Horizon. By doing so, it could be justified that Hilton is not only a scriptwriter but also a writer of great ecological thinking with a predictive worry about ecocrisis. Moreover, the book's potential ecological contribution to the new century could also be considered valuable in wakening and urging people to reconsider the issue of the increasingly degenerating ecological environment and to refine themselves as well.This paper is intended to stress the negative influences that the two World Wars brought about to natural ecology, social ecology and spiritual ecology. Then it goes on to reveal Hilton's criticism over wars, violence and industrialization, his reverence to nature, and his desire for a harmonious relationship between humans and nature. The whole thesis is divided into five chapters.Chapter one gives a general introduction to the author and his novel.Chapter two emphasizes an overview of the origin and development of ecocriticism as well as its purpose and significance.Chapter Three first talks about the root of ecocrisis:dualism and anthropocentrism. Then it goes further to study the influences and consequences of dualism and anthropocentrism:wars and its harm to humans in terms of spiritual and social ecology.Chapter Four mainly discusses the positive ecocritical meanings in Lost Horizon. Firstly, it stresses the representation of human beings' complex emotions towards nature such as reverence, alienation, love, and responsibility. Secondly, it discusses the distinctions revealed by Shangri-La's "moderation" theory between Eastern and Western philosophy on how to get along with nature. Finally it highlights the significance and enlightenment Shangri-La means to human beings in terms of ecocriticism.Accordingly in the last section the conclusion is drawn:Lost Horizon is more than just a bestseller, it ought to be regarded as a particular ecological text. Hilton is a great writer of ecological awareness.