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The most interesting thing about Lost to me is the literary influences I've noticed in the show. Some of these have already been documented elsewhere on the site (or were actually referenced in the show):

  • Illuminatus! - Subtle... but someone involved in the show is a fan of Robert Anton Wilson.
  • The Tempest - Lost isn't a remake of the Tempest, but one or more of the writers obviously read this and used elements of it.
  • Forbidden Planet - Since this movie is based on the Tempest it's not much of a stretch... but it seems pretty obvious to me that The Security System's first appearances were based on the Id Mondster from FP.
  • Watership Down
  • Lord of The Flies - Before the first episode of Lost ever even aired I half expected someone to pick up a conch and blow it or find a pig head somewhere in the pilot episode. Mark my words... Hurley will do this before the series ends.
  • The Mysterious Island - I read this book so long ago I didn't even catch the reference until it was pointed out to me.
  • The Wizard of Oz - Which isn't so much of a surprise since Stephen King likes to reference the Wizard of Oz and he's been cited as an influence by Damon Lindelof.
  • The Prisoner - The cameras, the "security system", and the general "WTF is going on here" ambiance all point to at least one of the writers/producers being a fan of this show. I'm just waiting for Him to be revealed as Joop.
  • Twin Peaks - Beyond the fact that both are character dramas with a quirky mystery at the center, the stories are dissimilar but the writers/directors seem to have taken some stylistic cues from Twin Peaks. There are a few things in Lost that may be subtle homages to TP:
  • Kate's Horse - a mirage/hallucination of a horse was a recurring motif in Twin Peaks
  • Marvin Candle - Mike the "One Armed Man" (who incidentally was a reference to The Fugitive)
  • Black/White - The duality of color has been a theme in Lost and was referenced in Twin Peaks as well (i.e. The Black Lodge and The White Lodge)
  • Twins/Doppelgangers - seems to be a theme in Lost and was a definite theme in the second season of TP

There are many more... I'll list them when I get around to it.

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