Consideration of the Existence ofShangri―La in Lost Horizon.docVIP

Consideration of the Existence of Shangri―La in Lost Horizon 　　【Abstract】Lost Horizon is a magnum opus of a famous English novelist James Hilton. Based on the original version of Lost Horizon， this thesis firstly studies the historical background of Lost Horizon and the author’s life before analyzing the reason for writing the novel. At last， this thesis analyzes the image of Shangri-La by associating it with Utopianism. Finally， here comes the conclusion that the author successfully built a peaceful and harmonious land which is far away from the real world. The intention of describing of the main character Conway is to encourage people to pursue what they want， to pursue serenity and satisfaction with both material and mental environments. At the meantime， Shangri-La can be a mirror for people to introspect themselves whether their behavior is good for environment and society. 中国论文网 /1/viewhtm 　　【Key words】Lost Horizon； Shangri-La； culture； Utopianism 　　1. Consideration of the existence of Shangri-La 　　1.1 Historical background 　　1.1.1 About the author 　　James Hilton （September 9， 1900 ?C December 20， 1954） was born in Lancashire， England. James’s parents were both teachers， which made it possible for him to have a well-educated background. Meanwhile， this background also had a strong effect on` James’s writing works. His father’s passion for music impressed James so much that music as an image appeared in his works every now and then. 　　James Hilton’s high school life began at 1915 and ended up in 1918， almost the same time as the World War One. The atmosphere of war suffused the society， especially the high school， because every student nowadays might become a soldier tomorrow. Some of James’s later short stories were also permeated with antiwar emotion. High school life wasn’t only about violence. In Leys School， Cambridge， James met his classic literature teacher， Mr. W .H. Balgarnie， who was an intelligent and kind teacher， and was greatly en