The following literary works, references or authors have been mentioned or shown in the series to date. Please see their main articles for details; this page is primarily for listing.
One of Anthony Cooper's aliases, and the one after which James Ford named himself, was Tom Sawyer. Cooper also jokes that Huck Finn was "already taken." ("The Brig")
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's, better known as Lewis Carroll, literary works Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, have been incorporated into the story of Lost in many episodes, such as "White Rabbit", and "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1".
In episode 1, pilot, we see Vincent the yellow labrador race by, as a reference to the white rabbit in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
White rabbits are used as recurring themes in Lost.
In the non-canonical Lost: Via Domus, a copy of Alice in Wonderland can be obtained and traded with other survivors. (Via Domus)
Leslie Arzt shouts "The pigs are walking! The pigs are walking!" a line from the book referring to what he sees as Kate and Jack being out of control and power hungry. ("Exposé")
Mr. Eko gives Locke a book that he found in the Arrow. When Locke opens the book, he realizes that it is the Bible and also finds that part of the center of the book has been removed. Inside this opening is a missing piece of the Swan Orientation Film. ("What Kate Did")
The book that Juliet and the other members of the book club are reading. Juliet says it is her favorite book.
Emilie de Ravin played the character Chris Hargensen in the 2002 television remake of Carrie.
Minor characters include Principal Henry Grayle (possible connection to Henry Gale)and Restaurant Owner Hubert Kelly, who "Complained constantly that his electronic pacemaker was on the verge of electrocuting him."
The DHARMA Initiative station, the Lamp Post, is a reference to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where a lamp post marks the passage between Narnia and the real world.
Narnia is a hidden world where time passes faster than on Earth and where magic is common. The guardian of Narnia is Aslan, a lion who appears after death. Only certain people chosen can enter Narnia. The Island, Jacob, visions of dead people and the Losties are references to the books.
The first book of The Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger, has been said to be found on Ben's bedside desk while he is recovering from spinal surgery in his house ("The Man from Tallahassee")
The key used in this book is very similar to The Constant - an anchor existing in both realities that can cure madness caused by time travel ("The Constant")
In this book, some of the characters are randomly sent to 1977 to meet Stephen King, the writer that created their quest in the first place and started them on their journey. This is similar to how the survivors find themselves in 1977 to witness and play a role in The Incident that brought them to the island originally. ("316")
Also in this book, the characters in 1977 consider investing in Microsoft in order to amass a large fortune, just like Sawyer did when he was about to leave the island. ("Follow the Leader")
As mentioned by Damon Lindelof in the Season 3 DVD Special Feature "LOST Book Club," Sawyer is very similar to the novel's main character, Howard Roark. Both are rebels against the general culture of their society and prefer to be by themselves.
This book is being read by Desmond on Flight 815 in the flash-sideways timeline.
Doc Jensen's article on Haroun and the Sea of Stories
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
By: Joseph Conrad
Lost References:
Jack asks Kate "Tell me something, how come every time there's a hike into the heart of darkness you sign up?" when Kate volunteers to go on the boar hunt with Locke. ("Walkabout")
Charlie tells Hurley, "One minute you're happy-go-lucky, good-time Hurley, and the next you're Colonel bloody Kurtz!" ("Numbers")
This story depicts a group of people who's lives are intertwined with a hotel. Each of these characters has a shady past and each person is currently dealing with these pasts and trying to redeem themselves in the present.
The Pala Ferry alludes to Pala, the fictional island of this novel's title. ("?")
In the beginning of the book, the main character is "[l]ying there like a corpse in the dead leaves, his hair mattered, his face grotesquely smudged and bruised, his clothes in rags and muddy, Will Farnaby awoke with a start.", appearing to be the inspiration for the very beginning of Lost ("Pilot, Part 1").
The Monster's similarities with a dinosaur in relation to Jurassic Park is directly referenced by Nikki when she debunks Paulo's theory on the Monster by telling him "it's not Jurassic Park, Paulo." ("Exposé")
This novel is mentioned by Sawyer. "Folks down on the beach might have been doctors and accountants a month ago, but it's Lord of the Flies time, now." ("...In Translation")
Sun and Jin are in the airport having lunch when Sun spills coffee on Jin's lap. Sun tries to clean it up but Jin asks her not to and leaves to clean up in the bathroom. After he leaves, a couple is overheard commenting on Sun's actions comparing her to the main character of this book while assuming that she does not understand any English. ("Exodus, Part 1")
"Ji Yeon's" pronounciation similar to "Gion", the geisha district in the book. ("Ji Yeon")
On the raft, Michael suspects that Sawyer is on the raft because he has no reason to live, a form of honorable suicide. In Melville's Moby Dick Ishmael comments on how whaling is his substite for the "pistol and ball," his suicide.
Sawyer chases a boar like Captain Ahab chases Moby Dick, both blaming the animals for the disgraces of their lives. ("Outlaws")
The Moon Pool of the Looking GlassDHARMA InitiativeStation is a possible reference to this classic, pulp-scifi/fantasy novel concerning the strange adventures of the botanist Dr. Walter Goodwin on mysterious, otherworldly islands in the South Pacific (this character shares his name with the Other known as Goodwin, who was sent by Ben to join the tail section of survivors). ("Greatest Hits")
The characters of The Moon Pool cross through a portal to an underground city called Muria, a name which was obviously derived by the author from that of the fabled lost continent of Mu / Lemuria.
Features of this book include strange disappearances, an uncharted island in the Pacific, the remnants of a lost civilization, and a mysterious monster.
Locke is shown holding this book upside down, in the Swan, flipping through the pages as if he's trying to find loose papers between them. ("The Long Con")
When Ben checks into the hotel in The Shape of Things to Come, he uses Dean Moriarty as a pseudonym. Moriarty is a principal character in Kerouac's famous work.
The bunny theme in lost is an obvious reference to On Writing. In the nonfiction book, a writing exercise asks the reader to analyze an albino rabbit in a cage with the number 8 written on its back. A bunny with a number 8 on its back is seen in many episodes of Lost, along with other bunnies with either different or no numbers.
The two main characters in this novel are Alexandra, a strong, independent, and resourceful girl, and her eventual husband Karl, spelled "Carl" in the book.
In the flashback scene in the van, Hurley's friend Johnny says to him, "Stay gold, Ponyboy." This is a quote from the Outsiders, which is itself a reference to the Robert Frost poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". In the novel, Johnny Cade's last words are "Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold." ("Everybody Hates Hugo")
Minkowski mentions to Michael who was bouncing a tennis ball against a wall, about the scene in the film where the main charcter Jack bounced the balls against a wall before attempting to murder his family. The film was based on Stephen King's novel of the same title.
Desmond's experiences of becoming "unstuck in time" are similar to those experienced throughout the book by the protagonist Billy Pilgrim.
Both Desmond and Billy Pilgrim experience these in a military setting, and become shunned by their squadmates. One of Desmond's squadmates is called Billy in reference to the novel's protagonist.
During a gameshow heard in the background in Meet Kevin Johnson, the novel and its author are named in one of the questions.
The title of the book is taken in turn from the Bible passage Exodus 2:22: "And she [Zippo'rah] bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land."
The science fiction novel tells the story of a human, Valentine Michael Smith, who is raised by Martians on Mars until his young adulthood, at which time he returns back to Earth. The plot revolves around Valentine's interaction with Earth culture.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's, better known as Lewis Carroll, literary works Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, have been incorporated into the story of Lost in many episodes, such as "White Rabbit", and "Through the Looking Glass, Part 1".
Ben was seen reading this, while talking to Jack aboard Ajira Airways Flight 316. Ben sarcastically answered Jack's question of his ability to read by noting that it beats what Jack is doing, i.e. waiting for something to happen.("316")
The 18th (and last) episode of the book is named Penelope, who's Desmond's wife in the show.
"... or Julius Caesar not been knifed to death? They are not to be thought away. Time has branded {and} lodged (them) in the room of the infinite possibilities they have ousted. But can those have been possible seeing that they never were? Or was that only possible which came to pass? Weave, weaver of the wind" p. 25 {This passage speaks of the idea of what might have been (how minor events could have drastically altered history). Also, is Jacob this 'weaver' Joyce speaks of, as we see him weaving in the base of the statue.} "The Incident, Parts 1 and 2"
Locke gives Ben this book to read while he is held captive in the Barracks. Ben claims that he has already read it, and Locke replies that he might have missed something the first time. ("Eggtown")
Kate finds Sawyer sitting on the beach reading this book. Boone said that he was reading it while on vacation in Australia. According to Sawyer, the book had just washed ashore. ("Confidence Man")
Sawyer is again seen with the book while sitting on the beach. ("Left Behind")
A Victorian tale of a headstrong girl who has to raise her brothers and sisters and dreams of doing great things, including "leading a crusade on a white horse" (sequels are What Katy Did at School and What Katy Did Next). Referenced in the title of Season 2, episode 9, "What Kate Did," in which the reason for Kate's arrest is finally revealed and she sees a black horse on the island. Also referenced in in the title of Season 6, episode 3, "What Kate Does."
Dorothy Gale's Uncle Henry is assumed by many to be named Henry Gale, although his and Aunt Em's surname was never established in Baum's books. The Lost character Henry Gale came to the Island in a balloon (and Ben claimed he had done so when he was calling himself "Henry Gale"); the Wizard arrived in Oz in a balloon.
In "Flashes Before Your Eyes", Mrs. Hawking and Desmond observe someone in red shoes being crushed by falling debris, just as the Wicked Witch of the East met her demise when Dorothy arrived in Oz in the 1939 movie adaptation of Baum's book. In the book, the house fell on the witch, but the shoes she was wearing were made of silver.
The episode title "The Man Behind the Curtain" is a reference to a scene in the 1939 movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, in which the Wizard, manipulating the illusion of "the great and powerful Oz" from behind a red curtain, exclaims "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" This episode features flashbacks of Ben, whom Locke accuses of being "the man behind the curtain" before their trek to Jacob's cabin in the jungle. ("The Man Behind the Curtain")
There are no real life references to Hemingway being jealous of Dostoevsky's work or feeling in his shadow. This may have been made up for the show for dramatic effect.
Ben sarcastically tells Locke that he prefers King when given a copy of The Brothers Karamazov to read while in confinement.
Damon Lindelof has said that his novels (especially the Stand) have been a major influence on Lost. Numerous other ties exist, such as a mutual admiration between the writers.
Damon Lindelof has also cited The Langoliers as a source of influence on the show. The Langoliers depicts a group of strangers who are on a flight that travel into a time rip, into a new dimension.
An early Tang Dynasty (618-907) poem by Chinese poet Li Bai, "Mt.Tianmu Ascended in Dreams" is seen as calligraphy in flashbacks of Jin and Sun's home.
The content itself is surreal, being about a man who journeys far in a dream as though in a vivid parallel dimension, only to be abruptly awoken to the mundaneness and bitterness of reality. This is a paradox uncovering that dreams can be better at revealing the truth than reality.
Locke attempts to recreate his brief sighting of the blast door map on a page from a 1939 book of poems by Alfred de Musset, called Sur les Débuts de Melles Rachel et Pauline (On the Beginnings of Miss Rachel and Miss Pauline).
Freud, Sigmund
In Chapter I of his book, Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud discusses a letter he recieved from his friend, the French novelist and mystic Romain Rolland. In this letter, Rolland describes what he calls the "Oceanic" feeling - that is, a feeling of eternity, a deep and innate connection with all things, a "oneness" with the world. Rolland, a "man of faith," sees this "Oceanic" feeling as being the primal source of all religion, but itself independent of any particular religion. Freud, an atheist and avowed "man of science" disagrees. While he admits that many people may experience this "Oceanic" feeling, he locates its source not in some mystical feeling of connection, but in an infantile helplessness experienced when confronted with a hostile world and the subsequent longing for the protection and guidance of the father. For Freud, this "Oceanic" feeling is "sustained by fear of the superior power of Fate."
Similar Stories Not Specifically Mentioned in Lost
The Keep
The Keep
By: F. Paul Wilson
Lost References:
The Keep describes an ancient evil entity called Molasar. Molasar is trapped in a castle keep in the Transylvanian alps- but it is oddly built "backwards", as if to keep something in, not to keep invaders out.
Molasar turns out to be a powerful ancient sorcerer from the "First Age" of humans and has been trapped there for centuries.
Molasar is awakened, or loosened, by Nazi soldiers looting some magical silver cross-like seals that are embedded in the stone walls, which keep him trapped inside. But he can't completely escape yet without some help, and can only run around the keep as a black smoky mist (!) killing Nazi soldiers. The SS comes in to investigate, finds some ancient language written in blood on a wall, and calls in a linguistics professor "Cuza" to help figure it out. Molasar manipulates Professor Cuza- by restoring his crippled legs - into being his agent to facilitate his escape.
Molasar has an adversary from ancient times, Glaeken, whose job is to keep Molasar in this eternal(?) prison.
There is a reward of mortality involved, which may or may not end up being in Lost.
Incidentally, "The Keep" is the first novel in a series, and in book 4, "Reborn", Molasar returns with the use of a loophole, reincarnating himself by entering the body of a clone fetus in a US super-soldier fetal experimental program.
Then in book 6, "Nightworld", the results of him escaping are the release of all sort of flesh-eating demon-like monsters on the Earth, and ever-lengthening nighttime. All hell breaks loose, HP Lovecraft-style. Glaeken has to recruit a candidate/hero/champion for battle against Molasar.
Publishing Company - A book was seen in Ben's tent in the episode The Brig where all that can be seen is the publishing company name of Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. It is not clear what book it is but this publishing company has published many Authors including Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time), William Golding (Lord of the Flies), and William Steig. William Steig wrote an award winning children's book called Abel's Island which depicts a rat who is swept way to a deserted island.
Lost Book Club - ABC.com's feature which includes books used in dialog, plotline themes, props, and background appearances on shelves.
