Distribution Agreement In presenting this thesis as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree from Emory University, I hereby grant to Emory University and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive, make accessible, and display my thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, including display on the world wide web. I understand that I may select some access restrictions as part of the online submission of this thesis. I retain all ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis. Signature: Kara Zimmerman April 24th, 2010 Hermeneutics and Heterotopias in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the Cult TV Series LOST by Kara M. Zimmerman Adviser Harry G. Rusche Department of English _________________________ Harry G. Rusche Adviser _________________________ John Bugge Committee Member _________________________ Eddy Von Mueller Committee Member April 24th, 2010 Hermeneutics and Heterotopias in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the Cult TV Series LOST By Kara M. Zimmerman Adviser Harry G. Rusche An abstract of A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Emory College of Arts and Sciences of Emory University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors Department of English 2010 Abstract Hermeneutics and Heterotopias in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the Cult TV Series LOST By Kara M. Zimmerman This thesis is an analysis of the ambiguity inherent in The Tempest, which lends the play to a multiplicity of interpretations (hermeneutics). The Tempest’s nature as a play, and the thematic ambiguity of the play’s narrative itself, are very similar to the manner in which TV land has become a hermeneutic heterocosm for the viewing audience. For this reason, I assert that The Tempest can be defined as a cult work. In addition, this thesis examines how The Tempest has changed over time to become, for modern audiences, a work of speculative fiction, because it takes place in a world that operates in a manner differently from the real world. Consequently, modern speculative fiction has appropriated various elements from The Tempest. Furthermore, to demonstrate the appropriative quality that the play has acquired, I compare it to an analogous cult TV series within the speculative fiction genre, the ABC series LOST, and attempt to answer why Shakespeare and The Tempest have become staples of the speculative fiction genre, and what has rendered The Tempest such an influential work. An analysis of their island heterotopias serves to demonstrate both works’ endlessly interpretable nature, which is why both works have culminated extensive fan and critical interest. Hermeneutics and Heterotopias in Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the Cult TV Series LOST By Kara M. Zimmerman Adviser Harry G. Rusche A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Emory College of Arts and Sciences of Emory University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors Department of English 2010 Table of Contents 1. Introduction…. .....................................................................................................................1 2. The Tempest: A Brief History ..............................................................................................6 “A Proliferation of Prosperos” ...............................................................................11 3. Fiction: Second Worlds & Heterocosms............................................................................18 4. Speculative Fiction: Utopias, Dystopias and Heterotopias ................................................24 Utopia .....................................................................................................................27 Dystopia .................................................................................................................28 Heterotopia .............................................................................................................35 LOST’s Island is a Heterotopia “Par Excellence” ......................................40 5. The Medium is the Message: Theater and “Cult” Media ..................................................44 Endlessly Deferred Narrative & Hyperdiegesis .....................................................45 The Cult of Shakespeare ........................................................................................49 6. The Tempest and its Influence............................................................................................52 7. LOST (2004-2010) .............................................................................................................63 Cult TV Series........................................................................................................65 Oceanic 815’s Fate & Prospero’s Fortune .............................................................66 The Island or “The Magic Box” .............................................................................68 The Proliferation of Prosperos on Lost’s Island ....................................................79 John Locke .................................................................................................79 Benjamin Linus ..........................................................................................80 Jacob ..........................................................................................................81 Ariel, the Loyal Servant Who’s “Always Been There” .........................................85 Sycorax, Prospero’s Dark Foil ...............................................................................89 “…This Island with Calibans” ...............................................................................90 Benjamin Linus ..........................................................................................90 Charles Widmore .......................................................................................91 The Man in Black.......................................................................................93 Imprisonment .........................................................................................................95 Checkmate..............................................................................................................96 Jacob vs. The Man in Black: The Utopian and the Dystopian ...............................98 The Endgame: Redemption..................................................................................103 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................107 8. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................109 Endnotes .................................................................................................................................112 Works Cited ...........................................................................................................................114 Bibliography ..........................................................................................................................124 Appendices .............................................................................................................................128 Appendix A: Shakespeare, Early Media Critic? ..............................................................128 Appendix B ......................................................................................................................136 Appendix C: The Island of Dr. Moreau ...........................................................................138 The Island (of Dr. Moreau) ..................................................................................140 “This Island with Calibans” .................................................................................146 Ariel .....................................................................................................................152 Prospero ...............................................................................................................156 “Obsessional Catastrophe”...................................................................................159 “Totalitarianism”..................................................................................................161 Wells’s “Hostility to Science” .............................................................................163 “The Mind Invasion” ...........................................................................................166 Prendick: The New Moreau .................................................................................168 Zimmerman 1 1. INTRODUCTION An Island. What comes to mind? I start to think of palm trees and ukuleles, margaritas and beaches, suntan lotion and sand—Paradise. Utopia. It is an image they sell in commercials about Bermuda, the Bahamas, Hawaii. A place where I can just relax. At least, being a college student, that is what I imagine. The concept of an island offers an escape from the reality of papers and mid-terms, books and stifling dorm rooms. However, upon further reflection, the insularity of the island can prove to be problematic. After all, it is separated from humanity, lonesome, and apart from technology. How would I be able to check out a new book at the library? How would I catch an episode of my favorite show LOST? Would the