Enjoyable read with a provocative thesis,
| By | Dr. W- See all my reviews |
The components of analysis, such as that of the major characters, symbols and motifs, are well done and provide much in the way of eloquent summary and thoughtful provocation. The theory itself, however, rests too much on a Panglossian view of life (Voltaire's parody of Gottfried Leibniz' philosophy in which the character Pangloss claims that despite horrific tragedy all is for the best or else it wouldn't be this way), too much on the notion that a universal truth exists and that the mythic format is the appropriate way to tell a story to expose us to that truth.
Oromaner is at his best when he claims that the main message of LOST is that when you find yourself, you will be free (21). For example, Oromaner claims that Jack "tries to clean up everything around him to feel self-worth in his own life" and that Jack's challenge is to fix himself instead of everything else around him, to realize that he is not omnipotent and it's not his responsibility to try and save everyone. Oromaner nicely highlights that Jack can't even give up on the opportunity to fix Ben, someone who we all feel he should probably just let stay broken. Oromaner offers equally insightful descriptions and analyses of other characters (all of them, in fact). It's just when he connects them all to his theory that it gets too concrete for me, and misses what I feel are the most exciting parts of LOST: its novelty in combining several mythic and literary formats, with multiple cultural references which sometimes do and sometimes don't convey the meaning of their previous contextual placement, and the ability of the show to offer various "readings" from philosophy, psychology, film studies, story-telling and literature, and even science and ecology.
The beauty of LOST is that it has opened itself up to all of these various readings. The beauty of Oromaner's book is that it enjoys participating in the LOST universe with a playful & thoughtful analysis.
yes yes again wh I like re Lost is reading all the ideas ppl have about it, what might be happening, wh they wld like to see happening, how they would write the story if it was theirs. I like how participatory, how m seems to call on others to imagine, to involve thmslvs in th story, even consider it as if they were telling it.
I was underwhelmed watching the S5 premiere episodes, but reading the very sharp discussn at Tuned In blog and a few clear & funny posts re time on Sepinwall blog takes me back into wh I find great, a world of readings & conversation about a story that open it up, make it a world in wh so much to talk about.
a world in wh there is so much to tell you
szymborska ~my sister is not a poet. she writes postcards:
when I get back I'll tell you
everything everything everything
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