Illuminati in English Literature - Research Paper Example

?Illuminati in English Literature The term illuminati is used to refer to a number of different clandestine groups which have been the focus of the conspiracy theory world. Some of these groups had actual existence while a number of other illuminati groups are purely creations of the human mind. Over the centuries the concept of the illuminati has evolved from an Enlightenment era society to a clandestine evil organization that is set to take over the world. This concept is somewhat similar to the concept of Free Masons or the concept of the Knights of the Templar who are all purportedly out to establish a new international regime better known as the New World Order. The more modern versions of the illuminati tales claim that this group is also out to take over the world through involvement at the highest echelons in order to install the previously mentioned New World Order. The success of the concept of illuminati or other such secret organizations has been their clandestine nature and their supposed will to dominate the world. The mystery surrounding such organizations and societies is amplified by relating bizarre initiation and promotion rituals that are seen mostly as against organized religion. The development of entire cults practicing devilish arts and fantasies right under the nose of society is a concept that is all too attractive for modern man to just walk by without noticing. In order to make life more interesting and noteworthy for the average person, it is attractive to know that one knows of the deepest secretes inside society. Such modes of thinking provide modern man with the assurance that he is well informed and on top of things in a life that has new surprises around every bend for him. The concept of secret organizations became incorporated into organized literature in the wake of the Industrial Revolution when myriad new concepts were being infused into literature. The mechanization of life following the Industrial Revolution imparted many new undertones to existing arts and literature. The introduction of mysterious writings from a host of authors attracted large audiences to themselves. This is evident from the conception and development of the crime mystery genre in literature. This genre began through the works of little known authors from both sides of the English Channel and gained prominence from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his unmistakable Sherlock Holmes. Although the concept of illuminati is not visibly pronounced in these works, but the existence of secret societies has been used as means to bolster the plots of these stories. Strangely enough the move to inscribe illuminati and other secret organizations into literature did not begin in the aftermath of the Bavarian Illuminati’s arrests and subsequent disbandment. The situation is complicated by the fact that a large number of the original Bavarian Illuminati’s members were connected to art, literature, philosophy, politics and other similar fields (Melanson, 2009). One would expect that some form of a literary response ought to flow from some side following prosecution by the German State yet this never took place. Perhaps the strong possibility of legal prosecution (up to charges of treason leading to death and life imprisonment) kept most literary agents away from mixing the illuminati tradition into literature from this period. However, the same cannot be said of later years especially the twentieth century when secret organizations and societies gained prominence in literary circles. The Free Masons and the Knights of the Templars had been famous before this point in time but this move in literature brought relatively less well known clandestine organizations and societies such as the Illuminati into public gaze. The Illuminati’s entry into literature can be traced into the twentieth century with ease. The entry of the Illuminati into literature has had a few major characteristics that have stood the test of time in the sense that they are more or less constant in behavior. For one thing, the mention of Illuminati in literature is often without proper research or supporting facts and evidence leading to a mysterious story. Secondly, the Illuminati are differentiated from other secret literary groups and are provided with an articulate identity through the use of ritualistic descriptions that defy reason and logic. Lastly, whenever the Illuminati or other such secret groups are mentioned in literature, the ending of the story shows the well-organized, well connected and affluent Illuminati being made monkeys by an individual hero or a small group of heroes. These characteristics have stuck to the Illuminati character and form in literature and have also helped to define the Illuminati as a separate literary identity. This paper will attempt to analyze the aforementioned aspects in classic and modern English literature as per the Illuminati in order to gain better understanding as to the development of the Illuminati concept in English literature. The first issue to consider is the lack of factually grounded research in order to support the Illuminati or other such mysterious groups in literature. In general when mystery and conspiracy theory writers pen their work, they tend to distort whatever historical facts and research they have in order to build a better story. This is evident in the case of various literary pieces that have been penned about secret organizations, cults and societies in general. Perhaps the real first literary work concerned with Illuminati was The Illuminatus! Trilogy penned by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. It is from this work that the tradition of distorting historical fact into historical fiction really emerged. Although the original Bavarian Illuminati was concerned with literary pursuits that were seen too radical for their times but the perception developed by Shea and Wilson was far removed from such a picture. This series of novels did not portray the Illuminati as a group of disgruntled literati but rather as a secret cult that was mired in devilish practices such as using drugs, sex and magic in order to run the society. In addition the Illuminati portrayed in these series of novels have not related the actual evolution of the Illuminati from the Bavarian tradition but rather have traced the origins of the Illuminati from esoteric and often unconnected secret societies such as Druids and Celts (Burns & Utt, 1980). When these claims of evolution for the Bavarian Illuminati are put together, it becomes clear that the Druids and Celts mentioned in these series of novels were actually from the English tradition. In contrast, the Illuminati’s actual origin comes through the Bavarian tradition with its founder being Adam Weishaupt. Other than the origin being Bavarian, the membership of the cult was purely Germanic was well because there is no evidence of any other members actually joining the order during its lifetime. Moreover, there is little that the Celts and the Druids would have in common with the Bavarian Illuminati given the large difference in socio-economic circumstances and the major differences in religious thought. The Druids and the Celts are near pagan in respect of their system of religious beliefs while the members of the Bavarian Illuminati were connected to the Catholic Church. This expression of religious belief was essential to the socio-economic outlook of both groups as the basic evaluation of socio-economic status depended on religious beliefs. If for example a Catholic monarch was installed on the seat of government then the Catholic groups in that country would be socio-economically empowered and vice versa. This rule continued unabated on mainland Europe for centuries ranging from the Middle Ages to the Age of Enlightenment and beyond. It must be kept in mind here that neither the Druids nor the Celts had any chance of getting into government positions because they were pagan. Hence they had little chance of becoming influential in any government positions as theorized by the authors. In contrast, the members of the Bavarian Illuminati were Catholic and were ruled over by a Catholic government and many of the members were already prominent parts of the government. For example, early members of the Bavarian Illuminati included a few dukes, government servants, politicians and the like. This argument can be extended further to other works on the Illuminati in English literature such as Foucault’s Pendulum and Angels and Demons although these works are far more recent than The Illuminatus! Trilogy. In a similar manner the works of other authors such as David Icke or Texe Marrs have also introduced similar nuances into the tale of the Illuminati. Icke for example believes and propagates that the Illuminati have penetrated the government and are actual reptilian humanoids. These elements of distortion tend to make these tales far more interesting and capitulating for the audiences so their incorporation into literature in such a fashion is understandable. Continuing in such a fashion, most of the literature spun around the Illuminati tends to paint them as carrying out devilish rituals that differentiate them from other secret societies and groups. Most literature on the matter does not paint the Free Masons or the Knights of the Templars in such a horrific picture as the Illuminati are painted in. There are musings in certain novels such as The Biggest Secret that the Knights of the Templar have initiation rituals that involve devil worship through the use of figures but these instances pale in comparison to what has been written for the illuminati. For one thing, the Illuminati have been portrayed as the actual root of problems that derived themselves from the Free Masons. This is partially true given the fact that the Bavarian Illuminati were inspired by the Free Masons in their actual creation as a clandestine society. However, the illuminati’s involvement in any major global problem has not been identified through history. It has been suggested throughout literature on the illuminati that they carry out devilish rituals in order to derive their power from Satan. Most of the rituals described for these purposes are gore like to say the least. A large number of rituals involved with the illuminati consist of taking blood from a human victim in order to satisfy some kind of a devilish thirst. Other rituals also include the use of human excrement as well as animal parts in order to initiate and promote members. In a similar manner the use of idol worship is rampant throughout literature on the illuminati although the other secret organizations such as the Free Masons in general and the Knights of the Templar in particular are associated to the Christian faith and the Catholic Church. The other secret organizations are described as per their rituals as well but those rituals do not involve measures that are as gore like as those for the illuminati (Barkun, 2003). Typically rituals associated with the Knights of the Templar and the Free Masons include the use of sexual intercourse between different and similar genders in order to initiate and derive power. These rituals have also been associated with the illuminati except that after sexual intercourse the participants may also be murdered in order to derive power. As an example, literature penned down by David Icke such as And the Truth Shall Set You Free includes clear references to murder after sexual intercourse. Moreover, more recent and iconic conspiracy theory novels such as Angels and Demons also contain hints to murder after ritualistic sexual intercourse. Another notable aspect of most literature on illuminati and other conspiracy theory based literature is the ability of the central hero or a group of heroes to defeat the well-entrenched mechanisms of clandestine organizations. This technique has been perpetrated without a doubt across all forms of conspiracy theory literature in order to provide an acceptable ending. Logically if the endings of such literature were to proclaim the victory of the bad guys then there would be little reason for people to follow such literature. Providing a more optimistic outlook against a plethora of supposed problems allows the audience to heave a sigh of relief and to connect with a sense of victory for the common man. The presented problems in these literary pieces indicate the eventual aim of global domination by all too powerful clandestine societies that are well connected in government and other spheres alike. Most authors project these problems as if the situation in the novel is out to dominate the life of the reader. Hence, it becomes a rather needed intervention when the author reassures the reader that these clandestine societies will not be able to impinge the life of the reader. Therefore, the success of the protagonist(s) has to be ensured by the author in order to preserve the peace of mind of the reader. This common methodology resounds in nearly all conspiracy theory literary pieces ranging from The Illuminatus! Trilogy to the more recent Angels and Demons. The concept of the happy ending can thus be taken as an essential part of conspiracy theory literature. Works Cited Barkun, M. (2003). A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America. University of California. Burns, J., & Utt, W. C. (1980). Further Illumination: Burns Challenges Utt and Utt Responds. Liberty 75 (2), 21-23. Melanson, T. (2009). Perfectibilists: The 18th Century Bavarian Order of the Illuminati. Walterville, Oregon: Trine Day. Read More