PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

The plot is told in the form of a flashback by a narrator who ties everything together. It has a prologue and an epilogue to introduce the plot and tie up the......

AUTHOR'S STYLE

Because he was born in England, James Hilton's style is very much British Old School. The language has a distinctly British flavor and nuance, and he uses language that is very much British in sound and description. For example, even the American Barnard sounds more like a Brit trying to imitate an American than like a real American! Furthermore, words such as......

THEMES - THEME ANALYSIS

The Exhaustion of Passions Is the Beginning of Wisdom

The first theme concerns the philosophy of Shangri-La: the exhaustion of passions is the beginning of wisdom. This concerns the belief of the lamasery that only when you lose the foolish passions that hold you to the real world can you find wisdom to face the future. Conway had come to this point even before he came to Shangri-La and that's why.......

World On the Brink of Destruction

The second theme involves a world on the brink of destruction. Obviously, Hilton when he wrote this in 1933, was beginning to........

Imagination

Another theme is that of imagination. Conway expresses his satisfaction that Rutherford has the ability to believe the story.........

Fate / Providence

A fourth theme involves the idea of fate or as Miss Brinklow calls it - Providence. The question is left with the reader about whether God has a.........

RISING ACTION

The rising action begins when the narrator meets up with Rutherford in Berlin and is given a manuscript he had written telling Conway's story in Shangri-La. Rutherford wanted the narrator to decide if what he reads is believable or not. The rising action ends at the climax when the High Lama names Conway the next High Lama.

FALLING ACTION

The falling action occurs after Conway is named the new High Lama, who then dies after living over 200 years. He feels responsible to help.......

POINT OF VIEW

The point of view is sometimes first person when the narrator is speaking. It is mostly, however,.....

The complete study guide is currently available as a downloadable PDF, RTF, or MS Word DOC file from the PinkMonkey MonkeyNotes download store. The complete study guide contains summaries and notes for all of the chapters; detailed analysis of the themes, plot structure, and characters; important quotations and analysis; detailed analysis of symbolism, motifs, and imagery; a key facts summary; detailed analysis of the use of foreshadowing and irony; a multiple-choice quiz, and suggested book report ideas and essay topics.