Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Blog, Internet resources, online reading groups, articles and interviews, Illuminatus! info.

Friday, December 5, 2014

Using a Higgs lens to read Illuminatus!


Author John Higgs

In his blog post about the Cosmic Trigger weekend, John Higgs writes about two different ways to tell a story — (1) the hero's journey, focusing on one protagonist's point of view, and (2) the intersection of many different stories, or "reality tunnels."

John offers these two means of storytelling as a contrast to each other. But I want to argue, here, that both methods can be seen in two seminal works of 20th century literature — James Joyce's Ulysses and Wilson and Shea's Illuminatus!

First, a bit more detail about the two fiction methods.

About the hero plot Higgs explains, "I’ve written a book about the 20th Century which will be out next year and which I’ll bang on endlessly about soon. But one thing I realised writing that book that the predominant story form of the 20th Century, especially in cinema, is what Joseph Campbell called the Hero’s Journey. A young man (and it's almost always a man) of lowly means receives a call to adventure, meets a patriarchal mentor, faces many challenges, defeats the personification of evil and returns home with treasure. You’re probably sick to death of that story, it’s been used in everything from Errol Flynn movies to Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter. It’s the story of a single reality tunnel – it’s the tale of how the hero views the world." It seems to me the story of Frodo in The Lord of the Rings also would be an example of what John is talking about.

He then adds, "But there’s been a huge shift in our culture. Look at the big hits that we get now. You have TV series like Game of Thrones, where the complicated interplay between dozens of competing reality tunnels proves to be a far more interesting, rewarding and illuminating piece of television than the story of one single reality tunnel. You get things like the Marvel cinematic universe, where all these separate individual superhero films join up into something larger, because Marvel understands that the sum is larger than the parts. In the Eighties the fact that Doctor Who had decades of backstory was a reason not to watch it: now people love it when they pick up on a Jon Pertwee reference from the 1970s. A simple children’s Hero Journey story such as The Hobbit becomes an epic 9-hour trilogy for today’s audience. Alan Moore understood all this decades ago, when he first began connecting up the entire world of fiction in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

John then applies it to the past "Cosmic Trigger" weekend. "All the stories, all your individual stories about what brought you here to this building on this day, they all connect up and form one larger story that is greater than the sum of its parts. And none of us can see that story, but we can sense it. We know deep down that this is exactly where we are meant to be, and that being here is important and will resonate with us for perhaps the rest of our lives. This weekend is about something other than one person’s reality tunnel. And yes, it is frustrating that none of us can see this larger story, but you know it’s there, just out of the corner of your eyes, because you keep getting flashes of it."

Isn't a mesh of different stories a pretty good description of what James Joyce's Ulysses is about? The different plotlines weave and intersect, but you get a sense that there are many different stories going on in Dublin, and that the reader is only getting a few of them, focusing in on the details of the characters to show that there is a much richer, larger whole. Certainly Illuminatus!, published in the 1970s, would seem to be an early example of the  "shift in the culture" that John perceives, with its multiple reality tunnels weaving in and out.

But it also strikes me that the "hero's journey" model can be applied in both of these books. If Stephen Dedalus is the Frodo/Luke Skywalker character who "faces many challenges,"  Leopold Bloom would seem to be the patriarchal mentor who gets Dedalus out of trouble after an encounter with a British soldier and then takes care of the  younger man.

Perhaps the model is more clear in Illuminatus!, where the "hero's journey" takes place at least three times. On one track, George Dorn is the "young man," and his "patriarchal mentor" is Hagbard Celine. Joseph Malik is the other "young man" (perhaps not chronologically) and his "patriarchal mentor" is the (probably younger) Simon Moon, who lectures Malik relentlessly and takes him on the Discordian path.

And in a sense, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson function as "patriarchal mentors" for the readers. There's even a series of tutoring sessions in the back, in the form of an Appendix, where the authors take the time to further lecture the reader and provide pointers for further research.



9 comments:

michael said...

Lots of potentially fecund ideas here.

One: Bloom is never more "Ulysses" than when he confronts The Citizen (Cyclops) and his dog, Garry Owens. To me, that is.

Eric Wagner said...

Howdy MIchael, I hope all goes well. I agree with you. I think Bloom also seems most himself in that scene, especially when he talks about Jesus.

By the way, next Tuesday marks the fiftieth anniversary of the recording of Coltrane's "A Love Supreme".

Eric Wagner said...

I wonder what Vico would have thought about Joyce's take on Homer.

Unknown said...

Much to think about here. Applying the terms to other books I love, Stranger in a Strange Land is mostly hero's journey (with more patriarchal mentor than most) and Stand on Zanzibar is mesh of stories (perhaps the first in science fiction).

chas said...

The Illiad is more of a mesh. Are we moving backwards in time?

John said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
get rich said...

Do you want to be a member of Illuminati as a brotherhood that can make you rich for ever and it can also make your name famous and power to control people in high places in the worldwide.are you a Politicians,Musicians,Business Man/Woman,student,here is the wright place were your poverty we be end and opportunity to become a member of the GREAT Illuminati.Illuminati will give you talent to become good Musicians to wining any competition in you without any stress you will famous any new member of Illuminati will give sum of 10,00000 million US DOLLARS and free job instantly once you join Illuminati then you will get more benefits ,power famous gold talisman, house, and you will also have long life.if you are interested kindly contact us via morganilluminatirich@gmail.com post by D.BJAN or call my agent +2348072222356.

Unknown said...

GREETINGS FROM THE GREAT GRAND MASTER!IN REGARDS OF YOU BECOMING A MEMBER
OF THE GREATILLUMINATI BROTHERHOOD, WE WELCOME YOU.
Be part of something profitable and special (WELCOME TO THEWORLD OF THE ILLUMINATI).Are you a
POLITICIAN,ENGINEER,DOCTOR, ENTERTAINER,MODEL,GRADUATE/STUDENT,OR YOU HAVE
IT IN MIND TO EXPANDYOUR BUSINESS To BECOME GREAT MINDS.It is pertinent to
also know that For becoming a member, youStand a chance of increasing your
"NET WORTH "in every weekwith the sum of $850,000 U.S, and earn the sum of
$1000,000 asthe illuminati membership salary monthly. Please be a part
ofthese GOLDEN "OPPORTUNITY"The great illuminati Organization makes you
rich and famousin the world, it will pull you out from the grass root and
takeyou to a greater height were you have long aspired to be andtogether we
shall rule the world with the great and mightypower of the Illuminati, long
life and prosperity here on earthwith eternal life and jubilation.INBOX ME
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED! Or email us on illuminatibell@gmail.com

Unknown said...

HOW TO JOIN THE GREAT ILLUMINATI GROUP

HELLO EVERYONE THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY.JOIN THE GREAT ILLUMINATI CALL +234764900614 AND GET RICH WE PROVED MONEY TO PEOPLE THAT ARE MEMBER SO WE WELCOME YOU TO JOIN NOW SAY BY BY TO POVERTY AND GET 18MILLION AFTER INITIATION CALL OR WHASSAP ONE OF THE GREAT HIRE PRIEST IN NIGERIA +2347064900614 or eamil;joyicepaul22@gmail.com If you do not want to join the Illuminati do not read this message. Rules * You must be above 18 years of age. * You must have full access to the internet. * You must not discuss the secret of the Illuminati to anyone. * We are not interested in anyone who has obtained their knowledge about the Illuminati based on what they %u2019ve HEARD from Mass Media (News or Performing Arts), Conspiracy Theorists (Amateur or Professional Authors or Speculators), Internet Rumors, or other HERESY. * Once you join the Illuminati within one week of your membership you will achieved the greatest goal in life and also have wealth and fame and 18millionusd we be give to you ask a new member. * No one discard the message of the GREAT ILLUMINATI if discarded the person will be tormented both day and night.Failure to compel to the order and rules of the GREAT ILLUMINATI shall see your fame and riches takenback. * The money ALWAYS flows TOWARDS Illuminati members...And AWAY from NON Illuminati members... One of the rules of the Illuminati is"We don't talk about the Illuminati"so I can't say too much about it here. If you are truly interested and get back to me via email?.email;joyicepaul22@gmail.com call +2347064900614 Do not play mind games that is how when i want to join the illuminati i was think if this is going to work until i met this right man and call him;'; +2347064900614 thank the great illuminati?