The Lost World: chapter by chapter summary with questions
Source: http://www.lostworldread.com/downloads/lost_world_plot_summary.doc
Web site to visit: http://www.lostworldread.com
Author of the text: indicated on the source document of the above text
THE LOST WORLD
The facts:
The figures:
The partners:
Arts Council England (South West), Arts & Business (South West), Aye Write! Bank of Scotland Book Festival (Glasgow), Darwin’s Shrewsbury, Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust, GWE Business West, Rolls-Royce, Scottish Arts Council, SWIRLS, University of Bristol, University of Edinburgh, University of the West of England, and the library services of Bath & North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, City of Westminster, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hampshire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Shropshire, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay, Wiltshire.
Some of the events that took place:
Some of the feedback from readers about the book:
The Lost World has been one of my favourite books for a few years, and I am delighted to know that other people will get to read it - it's too good to just sit on a shelf, gathering dust!
I thought the book was a real period adventure story - exciting, funny and well-written. It was also the forerunner to a whole genre of monster adventure stories.
I really enjoyed the book. It made me feel like a small boy again as it stirred up and fed my imagination that has been neglected for a long time it seems. Not only did I find the story entertaining, I also found the historical context interesting - how people in 1912 lived and spoke and wrote. Such a world away from our own time.
My book group found it an entertaining and well-written romp, despite the cardboard characters and enormous holes in the plot, but felt the racist attitudes of the time would need to be discussed with any children who read it.
It was unanimously voted as a thoroughly enjoyable and exciting read, well written in beautiful English by a true storyteller, who knew how to skillfully weave a tale. Arthur Conan Doyle had the ability to convey to the reader the sense of amazement and wonder felt by his characters as the story unfolded. It was considered very much a 'Boys Own Story', but even though written in 1912, and possibly classed as politically 'incorrect' by today’s' standards, our reviewers considered it to be a true timeless classic.
Wouldn't normally have picked up such a book, but found I couldn't put it down. It was a real thriller, very cleverly written yet easy to read. Wonderful escapism at the end of a long, hard day at work.
I very much enjoyed the book and subsequently, our book club's discussion. I am 58 years old female and I don't think there is a "wrong age" to read this book. I know I would have read it with the same excitement in my teenage years. It is certainly not a boys/man's book. I think anyone interested in evolution and science, our planet will find the book a very pleasant read. Thank you for making this available to us in reading clubs.
I found the Darwin biography a little irritating in style. I preferred the author's 'Bristol Story' but that might be because I know a fair bit about Darwin already. (Biology A level and further reading). But I thought the Lost World was a good choice because it reflected the pioneering spirit of the time and was a true marriage of science and fiction.
I think that the story was supercool. I would like it if you can write a story about the lost world again. If you do write a lost world book again can Malone have a girl that loves him? I wonder what Lord John and Edward Malone are doing now. I liked all the characters. My favourite characters are Gladys and Malone.
A real 'Boys' Own' ripping yarn – not a book to be taken too seriously, but to be enjoyed in the spirit in which it was written! There were some delightfully comic moments, – the image of Professor Challenger catherine -wheeling down the hall, locked in mortal combat with Malone, is one which will stay with me! The depiction of the 'treacherous half-breeds' and the faithful Zamba, with his 'honest black face', somehow didn't appear politically incorrect. It just added to the fun, as did the intrepid Lord John Roxton's free usage of the term 'Young fellah m'lad ', when addressing Malone! Professor Challenger himself I found irresistible! A bundle of energy and irascibility, he bounds off the page in full three-dimensional Technicolor! I am neither "a boy who's half a man, nor a man who's half a boy," [the author’s intended readership!] – but I loved it!!
This is a book that none of us would have chosen to read but we included it in our Book Group agenda to contribute to the 'mass read'. We found the beginning of the book rather 'stuffy' but all kept going and, once the expedition started, began to enjoy it. "I made myself keep reading and in the end I was captivated". We liked the rich and realistic descriptions of the plants and animals and the larger than life characters. It was like the books we read as a child, full of action and excitement.
This is a young person’s book. It is an old fashioned boys own adventure story, and severely dated in its sexist, racist, class conscious language. Not even well written. Too many machinations of plot. The Dinosaur theme has been done to death, and the book does nothing to celebrate either Conan Doyle. Both deserve better memorials than this. It seems an extraordinary choice for book groups, many of whom are 21st century women. Who wants to read about a lot of self important 19th century men?
The story is great and fun. I like the bit when he climbed up the tree and drew a map of the place where they were. I also like the bit when Gomez chopped the branch and then he got shot by Lord John. I read the children's book because the adult one I think is too much to read, because at school I'm only a level ten. I also like the front of the cover of the book which is Wallace and Gromit.
Exciting adventure, really easy to read. Dated in part, of course, but funnier than I expected and provides food for thought. A really good story.
The Lost World adaptation and Darwin Biography were well done as they included a lot of information while retaining their comic book easy to read style.
I loved reading The Lost World and being part of a national reading project. The book was exciting and intelligent and actually more amusing than I expected. I love Arthur Conan Doyle and though the book is dated it's still a great story. It's always a little shocking to be reminded of racial attitudes from the turn of the century and though I've read comments asking for a warning on the cover I think one has to remember this was written in 1912 and it's interesting for its social history. It has been a great project for exciting my 7 year old son with tales of adventure. He is a good reader already, but many boys struggle and this is a great choice of story to bring them in to the book loving fold. I'm especially pleased this project is part of the Darwin 200 celebrations as my family are big Darwin fans, even my 4 year old girl is a fan of 'lovely Mr Darwin'. More reading projects please.
The Lost World was absolutely brilliant: gripping, exciting and funny. Thank you for providing it, I haven't enjoyed a book so much for a long time.
Some of the feedback from readers about the support material project.
[Readers’ guide] Very clear, informative and well-written. It would be an invaluable tool for teachers of children aged about 9 to 12 years, as it provides the information needed to answer their questions.
[Readers’ guide] Plenty of fascinating information about the Sir Conan Doyle and Charles Darwin, so good to see the timeline of events surrounding their lives as well - very well put-together.
[Readers’ guide] Made me feel a part of something exciting.
[Readers’ guide] I found it made the Lost World book more interesting and made me want to read the full version of the Lost World.
[Website] As a teacher, there was probably less in the way of downloadable or online activities than I was hoping for, but I appreciate the tremendous amount of work that has gone into this project, and the book itself contains interesting activities.
[Website] Good resource, many useful links to all the various areas of interest, a very good effort.
[Website] I liked the website. I found it very interesting and informative. I was on it for ages! It would be a good idea for this sort of idea to carry on for other anniversaries.
I really enjoyed this book and am really pleased to have had this book brought to my attention by the Lost World Read as I would not have read it otherwise. I will definitely look out for further events of this kind in the future - a great way to widen my horizons! My enjoyment was enhanced by the knowledge that I was part of a nationwide group of fellow-readers, all going on this adventure together!
I haven't been part of a reading project before but would like to again - being part of a project brought my attention to a book I may not otherwise have read and I enjoyed being part of a nationwide group of readers - and having the background information provided by the guide and the website.
I think 'the big read' is a great idea. I've been really pleased to take part and am looking forward to passing my books onto others.
I like joint reading projects. I really ought to join a book club as it is good to discuss the reading experience. I think since I have been taking part in the Big Reads I have read more books generally and this has prompted recent discussions with friends and colleagues about books we have read.
A good opportunity to read something you may not normally do so, also introduce new readers to the pleasure of reading.
I think this whole thing is a good idea. It got me interested in science and history again, something I have forgotten to keep up with since I left school.
Great idea. What I liked about this one is that it had both an adult and child’s version. I got both for me and my daughter to read. It was a great way to encourage her to read more interesting books.
I think [reading projects] are excellent and exciting. My son is 7 and reading well. I love that there are projects to encourage nationwide reading that I can get him excited by as well. It all helps to bring reading out as an important and wonderful resource and pleasure. He's getting the idea that reading can take you to other worlds. My 4 year old daughter loves books and words too, so more projects please.
Source: http://www.lostworldread.com/downloads/lost_world_read_survey_summary.doc
Web site to visit: http://www.lostworldread.com/
Author of the text: indicated on the source document of the above text
Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes Stories
The life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:
Important Works:
Sherlock Holmes:
Professor Challenger:
Others:
main characters:
“The empty house”
main characters:
The distribution of roles in Sherlock Holmes:
Arthur Conan Doyle imagines himself to be Dr. Watson and his Professor at the Edinburgh University, Dr. Joseph Bell, got the characteristics of Sherlock Holmes.
The person of Sherlock Holmes:
Arthur Conan Doyle combined the characteristics of two great detectives in Sherlock Holmes: Lecoq (detective created by Émile Gaboriau) and Dupin (detective created by Edgar Allan Poe). On the one hand he is a highly talented, subtle logician and on the other hand he is an energetic undefatigable hunter for the initiator of crime, even if this second characteristic does not surface as in Lecoq’s adventures.
Holmes is a very well-educated person, who has a lot of knowledge, especially in scientific subjects and in medicine; but he knows only the subjects that are necessary for his cases. He also has a great memory in order to solve his cases. So he observes the suspicious persons first;he owns many gadgets, e.g. pistols, lock picks, pincers.. Holmes is very discrete when solving a problem and so he is often confronted with the cases, his clients do not want to tell the police.
The detection techniques of Sherlock Holmes:
The detection techniques, which Doyle used in his novels were not known in his time, especially the scientific methods.
The techniques of Sherlock Holmes set the pattern for that combination of armchair deduction and active pursuit of dues that characterises all of his subsequent work. He examines
elaborate patterns of footsteps, identifies cigar ash and in the end engages in the detailed step-by-step summary of his methods that has become indispensable to the mystery format.
Like all other arts, the science of deduction and analysis is one which can only be acquired by long and patient study. It sharpens the faculties of observation and teaches one where to look and what to look for. By a man’s finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser-knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt-cuffs – by each of these things a man’s calling is plainly revealed.
The skilled workman is very careful indeed what he takes into his brain. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment and all in the most perfect order. Moreover it is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts in the brain which hamper the useful ones.
Furthermore, the detective is able to solve a problem by an accurate and systematic examination of all that came in his way and consequently he should always approach a case with an absolutely blank mind to put the events that happened carefully together. It is also important to know how to trace footsteps and how to talk to a suspicious person in an investigation. Therefore, the detective should never let them know that their information can be of the slightest importance to him because if he does so, the person would immediately stop talking about this issue.
Moreover it is very important to know things better than someone else and that the detective trains himself to see what others oversee. Consequently, in an investigation, the little things are infinitely the most important ones; therefore the investigator has to concentrate himself upon details.
Furthermore, the eyes of the detective should be trained to examine faces. It is the first quality of a criminal investigation that you should see through a disguise.
Holmes himself says: “I now proceeded, using my familiar ,method of logical analysis, to narrow down the possible solutions” ("The adventure of the Blanched Soldier")
The person of Watson:
Watson is a very good friend of Sherlock Holmes and his helpmate. He likes adventures very much and he is often necessary for Holmes to solve a problem. But Sherlock often criticises Watson for drawing hasty conclusions and so the reader sometimes gets the impression that he thinks himself superior to Watson.
Watson is a fictive person who is the constant companion of Holmes. Moreover he is the story-teller of their adventures with which he wants to show the special capabilities of his master. He writes from a first person point of view and therefore influences the reader’s perception of the text. Consequently, he has a limited point of view and so the reader has to recognise that he cannot always trust his narratives.
The Tension in detective novels:
There are two types of tension: (1) the inner tension, i.e. a tension of feelings and (2) intellectual tension , which basically affects the mind. Whereas (1) makes the reader feel involved in the action, (2) makes the reader curious about the development and the ending of a story.
The main technique to create tension is to use a secret about the discourse of the story that is unknown to the reader. But there must also be conspiracies which disappoint the expectations of the reader and create changes in the plot. The more important technique is the secret because it maintains the reader's wish to be informed. Through these techniques, tension can be increased individually.
Arthur Conan Doyle creates a lot of tension in his Sherlock Holmes Stories to make the reader feel involved in the plot and also to make him think about the person who committed the murder.
The classic detective fiction is a literature of logic in which everything has a scientific explanation. It is concerned with hard facts and encourages scepticism. The reader must learn to doubt everything he or she is told about events and characters and must automatically disbelieve such things as alibis. Spiritualism, on the other hand, involves suspension of logical faculties to believe in events and phenomena which can’t be explained in scientific or logical terms. The mediums role can be seen as being similar to that of a detective in a murder case. Both are trying to make the dead speak in order to reveal the truth. The ability to make the dead communicate in a more reliable way would no doubt be a great advantage for a detective. So the best known link between spiritualism and detective fiction is Arthur Conan Doyle. As a young man he has described spiritualism as nonsense, but in later years he became one of its staunchest advocates; many books say that there’s a connection between the death of Doyle’s son in WW I and his sudden believe in spiritualism. Perhaps the best example to show his interest in the supernatural, is the ghost story “The Brown Hand”(1899), which is narrated by a doctor who is also a member of the Society for Physical Research. So a surgeon is haunted by a ghost of a man whose hand he had amputated. The ghost keeps returning to look for the missing parts of his body.
But Doyle kept spiritualism out of the Holmes stories because he wanted to point out the capabilities of his detective and not of a medium.
Bibliography:
Source: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/uni/fakultaeten/split_lehrstuehle/englische_literatur/Materialien/Mueller/League/HandoutSherlockHolmes.doc
Web site to visit: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/
Author of the text: indicated on the source document of the above text
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