World without end or beginning: structures of dis-placement in Lost

摘要

This paper investigates how Lost, at the same time as it develops along the lines of a traditional castaway topos, subverts and negates a linear narrative structure. A main focus is placed on the way in which the sequential narrative is broken through the use of intertextuality. Intertextual reference creates a vertical movement where the motivation is derived from outside the text itself. Intertextuality as a symbolic tool imbues the text with deepened sense of meaning, while adding a vertical dimension which continues to destabilise the narrative throughout. As will be discussed, the function of this strategy is to highlight the serial's main purpose, which is to illuminate the development of the mythical self. In this context, the mythical island in Lost emerges as a space in which the self can be enunciated. The island comprises a synchronic field in which signs refer backwards and forwards in a system of interaction, negating a diachronic sequence. As a result of these strategies, rescue comes to refer to the spatial status of the self rather than to the temporal event of salvaging the castaways, which is why criticisms that Lost has lost its way to a large extent miss their mark.