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| The trilogy's rambling plot begins with the investigation by two ] detectives (Saul Goodman and Barney Muldoon) of the ] of a ] magazine and the disappearance of its editor. Discovering the magazine's investigation into the ] and ] ], the two become drawn into a web of conspiracy theories. At the same time, the magazine's reporter George Dorn, turned loose without support in deep right-wing ] after the bombing, finds himself dragged bodily into the hands of the same conspiratorial organizations. ''(...)'' | The trilogy's rambling plot begins with the investigation by two ] detectives (Saul Goodman and Barney Muldoon) of the ] of a ] magazine and the disappearance of its editor. Discovering the magazine's investigation into the ] and ] ], the two become drawn into a web of conspiracy theories. At the same time, the magazine's reporter George Dorn, turned loose without support in deep right-wing ] after the bombing, finds himself dragged bodily into the hands of the same conspiratorial organizations. ''(...)'' | ||
| One of the most well-known ]s |
One of the most well-known ]s in the book is the '']'', a word that the majority of the population had been trained since early childhood to ignore (and of course trained to forget the training, and the fact that they are ignoring it) but also to associate with a vague sense of unease. Fnords are ] scattered liberally in the text of newpapers and magazines, causing fear and anxiety in those following current events. However, there are no fnords in the advertisements, encouraging a ] society. | ||
| Another concept is that of ''immanentizing the ]'', a catch-phrase meaning "bring about the end of the world" or "create heaven on earth" derived from a quotation in the works of ]. In the book it is taken to symbolize a plot for mass ] to release "life-energy" enough to bring eternal life to, among others, ]. | Another included concept is that of ''immanentizing the ]'', a catch-phrase meaning "bring about the end of the world" or "create heaven on earth" derived from a quotation in the works of ]. In the book it is taken to symbolize a plot for mass ] to release "life-energy" enough to bring eternal life to, among others, ]. | ||
| ==External link== | ==External link== | ||
Revision as of 18:18, 21 June 2004
The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson.
The books are unashamed hippie paranoia, or perhaps a satire of such paranoia, including many references to Discordianism, the Illuminati, the ∴.∴., and various world domination plans, conspiracy theories and pieces of gnostic knowledge. Many of the odder conspiracies in the book are taken from unpublished letters to Playboy magazine, where the authors were working as associate editors while they wrote the novels.
The three books that make up the trilogy are:
- The Eye in the Pyramid
- The Golden Apple
- Leviathan
The trilogy was later republished in a single volume, minus the "what has gone before" introduction to The Golden Apple; some of the material in that foreword — such as the self-destruct mynah birds — occurs nowhere else in the trilogy, likely a result of the 500 pages cut by the publisher to reduce printing costs on what was seen as a risky venture. These 500 pages were subsequently lost in the mail between Mexico and Los Angeles, although Wilson states that most of the ideas contained therein made it into his later works.
The trilogy won the 1986 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award.
The trilogy's rambling plot begins with the investigation by two New York City detectives (Saul Goodman and Barney Muldoon) of the bombing of a leftist magazine and the disappearance of its editor. Discovering the magazine's investigation into the Kennedy and King assassinations, the two become drawn into a web of conspiracy theories. At the same time, the magazine's reporter George Dorn, turned loose without support in deep right-wing Texas after the bombing, finds himself dragged bodily into the hands of the same conspiratorial organizations. (...)
One of the most well-known conceits in the book is the fnord, a word that the majority of the population had been trained since early childhood to ignore (and of course trained to forget the training, and the fact that they are ignoring it) but also to associate with a vague sense of unease. Fnords are scattered liberally in the text of newpapers and magazines, causing fear and anxiety in those following current events. However, there are no fnords in the advertisements, encouraging a consumerist society.
Another included concept is that of immanentizing the eschaton, a catch-phrase meaning "bring about the end of the world" or "create heaven on earth" derived from a quotation in the works of Eric Voegelin. In the book it is taken to symbolize a plot for mass human sacrifice to release "life-energy" enough to bring eternal life to, among others, Adolf Hitler.