《消失的地平线中》中的浪漫主义分析

An Analysis of Romanticism in Lost Horizon

Abstract

Lost Horizon is a representative work of the British writer James Hilton. Taking the economic crisis after World War I as the background, it has constructed a refuge of Shangri-La to soothe people who went through years of war, and it is widely acknowledged as one of the masterpieces of romanticism.

This paper attempts to interpret the novel from the perspective of romanticism. The first part of this article briefly introduces the author's life and the historical background of the novel. The second part analyzes the romantic elements in the novel, including Byronic heroes and idealization of nature. The third part summarizes James Hilton's writing techniques to create romantic style. The fourth part explores the themes of the novel, and elaborates the significance of it. 

In Lost Horizon, the author portrays the complex reality with various forms of expression, revealing his dissatisfaction and disillusionment to social reality. In fact, he created such an ideal realm to guide people who went through war and economic crisis, giving them confidence and hope to pursuit a better life. In this sense, this novel is characterized by romanticism. Since the day the novel was published, Shangri-La has been widely regarded as a token of ideal, representing the common pursuit of all human beings for peace and freedom. More and more people are on the way to find Shangri-La, in pursuit of their dreams and spiritual serenity.

Key words: Lost Horizon; romanticism; Shangri-La