The Blue Lagoon
by Henry De Vere Stacpooleliterary work· published 1908
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The Blue Lagoon is a coming-of-age romance novel written by Henry De Vere Stacpoole, first published by T. Fisher Unwin in 1908. The Blue Lagoon explores themes of love, childhood innocence, and conflict between civilisation and nature. The story centres on two cousins, Dick and Emmeline Lestrange, who are marooned with a galley cook on an island in the South Pacific Ocean following a shipwreck. The galley cook, Paddy Button, assumes responsibility for the children and teaches them how to survive, cautioning them to avoid the "arita" berries [a name Stacpoole just made up], which he calls "the never-wake-up berries". Two and a half years after the shipwreck, Paddy dies following a drinking binge. The children survive on their resourcefulness and the bounty of their remote paradise.
Adaptations (2)
The Blue Lagoon has been adapted into 2 films, from 1980 to 1991. The most recent is Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991).
The Blue Lagoon1980 · film · 104 min · dir. Randal Kleiser · IMDb ↗Two small children and a ship's cook survive a shipwreck and find safety on an idyllic tropical island. Soon, however, the cook dies and the young boy and girl are left on their own. Days become years and Emmeline and Richard make a home for themselves surrounded by exotic creatures and nature's beauty. But will they ever see civilization again?
Return to the Blue Lagoon1991 · film · 102 min · dir. William A. Graham · IMDb ↗In this sequel to the 1980 classic, two children are stranded on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. With no adults to guide them, the two make a simple life together and eventually become tanned teenagers in love.
