Foucault's Pendulum (original title: Il pendolo di Foucault) is a novel by Italian novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco. It was first published in 1988; the translation into English by William Weaver appeared a year later. Foucault's Pendulum is being re-issued by Harcourt March 2007. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (403x614, 422 KB) Summary Cover of Umberto Ecos Foucaults Pendulum, published by Picador, 1989 edition. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Picador is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, a publisher owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. ... Umberto Eco (born January 5, 1932) is an Italian medievalist, semiotician, philosopher and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) and his many essays. ... William Fense Weaver (b. ... Speculative fiction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A secret history (or shadow history) is a version of history that is at odds with commonly accepted historical events and which is claimed to have been deliberately suppressed or forgotten. ... Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann based in New York City. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Umberto Eco (born January 5, 1932) is an Italian medievalist, semiotician, philosopher and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) and his many essays. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... William Fense Weaver (b. ... Harcourt is also a surname Harcourt (pronunciation: AHR-koor) is a commune and a canton of the Eure département, in the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) région, in France. ...

Foucault's Pendulum is divided into ten segments represented by the ten Sefiroth. The novel is full of esoteric references to the Kabbalah, alchemy and conspiracy theory, so many that critic and novelist Anthony Burgess has suggested that it needed an index (See: List of esoteric subjects in Foucault's Pendulum). The title of the book derives from an actual pendulum designed by the French physicist Léon Foucault to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. As the novel deals with the nature of power, and it has been theorized that the title might also refer to French philosopher Michel Foucault and his studies on power and knowledge, but Michel Foucault is never mentioned in the text. When asked about this possibility on WBUR radio talk show The Connection in 1997, Eco denied any allusion to Michel Foucault. The tree of life. ... Etymology Esoteric is an adjective originating during Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esôterikos, from esôtero, the comparative form of esô: within. It is a word meaning anything that is inner and occult, a latinate word meaning hidden (from which... This article is about traditional Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... A conspiracy theory attempts to explain the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events) as a secret, and often deceptive, plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ... Anthony Burgess (February 25, 1917 – November 22, 1993) was a British novelist, critic and composer. ... This is a list of obscure subjects mentioned in Foucaults Pendulum. ... Foucaults Pendulum in the Panthéon, Paris A Foucault pendulum, or Foucaults pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, was conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth; its action is a result of the Coriolis effect. ... ... Michel Foucault (IPA pronunciation: ; English-speakers pronunciation varies) (October 15, 1926 – June 25, 1984) was a French philosopher and historian. ... The Connection was a radio call-in program from WBUR that ran from 1994 to 2005. ...

Plot summary

The plot of Foucault's Pendulum revolves around three friends, Belbo, Diotallevi and Casaubon, who work for a small publishing company in Milan. After reading too many manuscripts about occult conspiracy theories, they decide they can do better, and set to invent their own conspiracy for fun. They call this satirical intellectual game "The Plan". Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organizations, states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to work, study, reflect, speculate on, or ask and answer questions with regard to a variety of different ideas. ...

As Belbo, Diotallevi and Casaubon become increasingly obsessed with The Plan, they sometimes forget that it's just a game. Worse still, when adherents of other conspiracy theories learn about The Plan, they take it seriously. Belbo finds himself the target of a very real secret society that believes he possesses the key to the lost treasure of the Knights Templar. The Seal of the Knights Templar This article is about the medieval military order. ...

There are a number of sub-plots woven into the grand theme of The Plan. Belbo's obsession with the plan is justified by his experiences as a child in a World War II torn Italy, his love for Lorenza, his desire to absolve himself from his constant sense of failure. Against the backdrop of the Templar Plan for world domination, the novel brings out the credulity inherent in all people. The Plan was started to mock the Diabolicals, but when it becomes intelligent enough, they start believing in it themselves.

The Foucault pendulum at the Musée des arts et métiers in Paris plays a major part in the novel

The book opens with the narrator, Casaubon (his name refers to classical scholar Isaac Casaubon, and also evokes a scholar character in George Eliot's Middlemarch) hiding in fear after closing time in the Parisian technical museum Musée des Arts et Métiers. He believes that members of a secret society have kidnapped his friend Jacopo Belbo and are now after him. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Foucaults Pendulum in the Panthéon, Paris A Foucault pendulum, or Foucaults pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, was conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth; its action is a result of the Coriolis effect. ... Foucault pendulum at the Musée des arts et métiers The Musée des Arts et Métiers is a museum in Paris that houses the collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, which was founded in 1794 as a depository for the preservation of scientific... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... Isaac Casaubon (February 18, 1559 - July 1, 1614) was a classical scholar, first in France then later in England, regarded by many at the time as the most learned in Europe. ... George Eliots birthplace at South Farm, Arbury George Eliot is the pen name of Mary Anne Evans[1] (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880), who was an English novelist. ... See also Middlemarch, New Zealand. ... Foucault pendulum at the Musée des arts et métiers The Musée des Arts et Métiers is a museum in Paris that houses the collection of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, which was founded in 1794 as a depository for the preservation of scientific...

Most of the novel is then told in flashback as Casaubon waits in the museum. In literature and film, a flashback (also called analepsis) takes the narrative back in time from the point the story has reached, to recount events that happened before and give the back-story. ...

Casaubon had been a student in 1970s Milan, working on a thesis on the history of the Knights Templar while taking in the revolutionary and counter-revolutionary activities of the students around him. During this period he meets Belbo, who works as an editor in a publishing house. Belbo invites Casaubon to review the manuscript of a supposedly non-fiction book about the Templars. Casaubon also meets Belbo's colleague Diotallevi, a cabalist. Milano redirects here. ... The Seal of the Knights Templar This article is about the medieval military order. ... This article is about traditional Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). ...

The book, by one Colonel Ardenti, claims a hidden coded manuscript has revealed a secret plan of the medieval Templars to take over the world. This supposed conspiracy is meant as revenge for the deaths of the Templar leaders when their order was disbanded by the King of France. Ardenti postulates that the Templars were the guardians of a secret treasure, perhaps the Holy Grail of legend. For historical artifacts associated with the cup of the Last Supper, see Holy Chalice. ...

According to Ardenti's theory, after the French monarchy and the Catholic Church disbanded the Templars on the grounds of heresy, some knights escaped and established cells throughout the world. These cells have been meeting at regular intervals in distinct places to pass on information about the Grail. Ultimately, these cells will reunite to rediscover the Grail's location and achieve world domination. According to Ardenti's calculations, the Templars should have taken over the world in 1944; evidently the plan has been interrupted. Global domination, global conquest, taking over the world, world conquest, or world domination is an ambitious goal in which one government, one ideology or belief system, or even one person, seeks to secure complete political control of the entire planet. ...

Ardenti mysteriously vanishes after meeting with Belbo and Casaubon to discuss his book. A police inspector, De Angelis, interviews both men. He hints that his job as a political department investigator leads him to investigate not only revolutionaries but also people who claim to be linked to the Occult.

Casaubon leaves Italy and spends two years in Brazil. While living there, he learns about South American and Caribbean spiritualism. He also has a romance with a Brazilian woman named Amparo and meets Agliè, an elderly man who implies that he is the mystical Comte de Saint-Germain. Agliè has a seemingly infinite supply of knowledge about things concerning the Occult. While in Brazil, Casaubon receives a letter from Belbo about attending a meeting of occultists. At the meeting Belbo was reminded of the Colonel's conspiracy theory by the words of a young woman who was apparently in a trance. Casaubon and Amparo also attend an occult event in Brazil, an Umbanda rite. During the ritual Ampara falls into a trance herself, an experience she finds deeply disturbing and embarrassing. Her relationship with Casaubon falls apart, and he returns to Italy. Ilê Axé Iya Nassô Oká - Terreiro da Casa Branca Candomblé is an African religion practiced chiefly in Brazil but also in adjacent countries. ... Santería, also known as Lukumí or Regla de Ocha, is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic Christian beliefs with traditional Yoruba beliefs. ... The Count of St Germain († February 27, 1784) was a courtier, adventurer, inventor, amateur scientist, violinist, amateur composer, and generally mysterious gentleman; he also had at least pretensions of alchemy. ... Umbanda is a religion that blends Catholicism, Kardecist Spiritualism, and Afro-Brazilian religions . ...

On his return to Milan, Casaubon completes his thesis. He begins working as a freelance researcher. At the library he meets a woman named Lia; the two fall in love and eventually have a child together. Meanwhile, Casaubon is hired by Belbo's boss, Mr. Garamond (his name refers to French publisher Claude Garamond), to research illustrations for a history of metals the company is working on. Casaubon learns that as well as the respectable Garamond publishing house, Mr. Garamond also owns Manuzio, a vanity publisher that charges incompetent authors large sums of money to print their work (rendered "Manutius" in the English translation, a reference to the 15th century printer Aldus Manutius). 1480-1561, Parisian designer and maker of printing types. ... This article or section should be merged with vanity press A vanity publisher is essentially a publisher for hire. ... Aldus Manutius (1449/50 - February 6, 1515), the Latin form of Aldo Manuzio (born Teobaldo Mannucci) was the founder of the Aldine Press. ...

Mr. Garamond soon has the idea to begin two lines of occult books: one intended for serious publication by Garamond; the other, Isis Unveiled (a reference to the theosophical text by Blavatsky), to be published by Manutius in order to attract more vanity authors. Isis Unveiled, a master-key to the mysteries of ancient and modern science and theology, published in 1877, was Helena Petrovna Blavatskys first major book. ... Seal of the Theosophical Society Theosophy is a body of belief which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain the Divine, and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. ... Helena Blavatsky Helena Petrovna Hahn (also Hélène) (July 31, 1831 (O.S.) (August 12, 1831 (N.S.)) - May 8, 1891 London, England), better known as Helena Blavatsky or Madame Blavatsky was the founder of Theosophy. ...

Belbo, Diotallevi and Casaubon quickly become submerged in occult manuscripts that draw all sorts of flimsy connections between historical events. They nickname the authors the "Diabolicals", and engage Agliè as a specialist reader.

The three editors start to develop their own conspiracy theory, "The Plan", as part satire and part intellectual game. Starting from Ardenti's "secret manuscript", they develop an intricate web of mystical connections. They also make use of Belbo's small personal computer, which he has nicknamed Abulafia. Belbo mainly uses Abulafia for his personal writings (the novel contains many excerpts of these, discovered by Casaubon as he goes through Abulafia's files), but it came equipped with a small program that can rearrange text in random. (Compare with the game of Dissociated Press and Ramon Llull's Ars Magna.) They use this program to create the "connections" which inspire their Plan. They enter randomly selected words from the Diabolicals' manuscripts, logical operators ("What follows is not true", "If", "Then", etc.), truisms (such as "The Templars have something to do with everything") and "neutral data" (such as "Minnie Mouse is Mickey Mouse's fiancée") and use Abulafia to create new text. Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (born in Saragosa 1240- and d. ... Dissociated Press Play on ‘Associated Press’; perhaps inspired by a reference in the 1950 Bugs Bunny cartoon Whats Up, Doc? An algorithm for transforming any text into potentially humorous garbage even more efficiently than by passing it through a marketroid. ... Ramon Llull. ... Ramon Llull. ... A truism is a claim that is so obvious or self-evident as to be hardly worth mentioning, except as a reminder or as a rhetorical or literary device. ... Minerva Minnie Mouse is a fictional character of the Mickey Mouse universe featured in animated cartoons, comic strips and comic book by The Walt Disney Company. ... Mickey Mouse is an Academy Award-winning comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. ...

Their first attempt ends up recreating (after a liberal interpretation of the results) the Mary Magdalene conspiracy theory central to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. Casaubonn jokingly suggests that to create something truly new Belbo must look for occult connections in non-obvious contexts, such as by linking the Kabbalah to a car's spark plugs. (Belbo actually does this, and after some research concludes that the powertrain is a metaphor for the Tree of life.) Pleased with the results of the random text program, the three continue resorting to Abulafia whenever they reach a dead-end with their game. The penitent Mary Magdalen, a much reproduced composition by Titian. ... Book cover of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail 2005 illustrated hardcover edition The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (retitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail in the United States) is a controversial book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, which was based in large part on Pierre... This article or section should include material from Spark gap A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Category:Sephiroth      Main article: Sephirot (Kabbalah) Tree of life is a mystical concept within the Kabbalah of Judaism which is used to understand the nature of God and the manner in which He created the world ex nihilo (out of nothing). ...

"The Plan" evolves slowly, but the final version involves the Knights Templar's discovering secret energy flows named telluric currents during the Crusades. The original Knights Templar organization is destroyed, but the members split into independent cells located in several corners of Europe and the Middle East. As in Ardenti's original theory, each cell is given part of the Templar "Plan" and information about the secret discovery. They are to meet periodically at different locations to share sections of the Plan, gradually reconstructing the original. Then they will reunite and take over the world using the power of the telluric currents. The crucial instruments involved in their plan are a special map and the Foucault pendulum. A telluric current is an electric current in the Earth (both land and sea). ... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... World map exhibiting the location of Europe. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Foucaults Pendulum in the Panthéon, Paris A Foucault pendulum, or Foucaults pendulum, named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, was conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth; its action is a result of the Coriolis effect. ...

While the Plan is quite far-fetched, the editors become increasingly involved in their game. They even begin to think that there might really be a secret conspiracy after all. Ardenti's disappearance, and his original "coded manuscript", seem to have no other explanation.

However, when Casaubon's girlfriend Lia asks to see the coded manuscript, she comes up with a mundane interpretation. She suggests that the document is simply a delivery list, and encourages Casaubon to abandon the game as she fears it is having a negative effect on him.

When Diotallevi is diagnosed with cancer, he attributes this to his participation in The Plan. He feels that the disease is a divine punishment for involving himself in mysteries he should have left alone and creating a game that mocked something larger than them all. Belbo meanwhile retreats even farther into the Plan to avoid confronting problems in his personal life.

The three had sent Agliè their chronology of secrets societies in the Plan, pretending it was not their own work but rather a manuscript they had been presented with. Their list includes historic organizations such as the Templars, Rosicrucians, Paulicians and Synarchists, but they also invent a fictional secret society called the Tres (Templi Resurgentes Equites Synarchici, Latin for the nonsensical "Synarchic Knights of Templar Rebirth"). The Tres is introduced to trick Agliè. Upon reading the list, he claims to have heard of the Tres before. This is possible, as the word was first mentioned to Casaubon by the policeman De Angelis. De Angelis had asked Casaubon if he has ever heard of the Tres. The Seal of the Knights Templar This article is about the medieval military order. ... The Temple of the Rose Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618. ... Paulicianism was a Gnostic and Manichaean Christian sect that florished between 650 and 872 in Anatolia, outgoing from Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire. ... Synarchism (from Greek words meaning to rule together, in Spanish Sinarquismo), is the ideology of a political movement in Mexico dating from the 1930s. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...

Belbo goes to Agliè privately and describes The Plan to him as though it were the result of serious research. He also claims to be in possession of the secret Templar map. Agliè becomes frustrated with Belbo's refusal to let him see this (non-existent) map. He frames Belbo as a terrorist suspect in order to force him to come to Paris. Agliè has cast himself as the head of a secret spiritual brotherhood, which includes Mr. Garamond and many of the Diabolical authors.

Casaubon receives a call for help and he tries to get help from De Angelis, but the brotherhood has blackmailed him. Casaubon decides to follow Belbo to Paris himself. He decides that Agliè and his associates must intend to meet at the museum where Foucault's Pendulum is housed, as Belbo had claimed that the Templar map had to be used in conjunction with the pendulum. Casaubon hides in the museum, where he was when the novel opened.

At the appointed hour, a group of people gather around the pendulum for an arcane ritual. Casaubon sees several ectoplasmic forms appear, one of which claims to be the real Comte de Saint-Germain and discredits Agliè in front of his followers. Belbo is then brought out to be questioned. An ectoplasm (ghost) In cell biology, ectoplasm (outer plasma) refers to the outer regions of the cytoplasm of a cell. ... The Count of St Germain († February 27, 1784) was a courtier, adventurer, inventor, amateur scientist, violinist, amateur composer, and generally mysterious gentleman; he also had at least pretensions of alchemy. ...

Agliè's group are, or have deluded themselves to be, the Tres society in the Plan. Angry that Belbo knows more about the Plan than they do, they try to force him to reveal the secrets he knows. Refusing to satisfy them or reveal that the Plan was a nonsensical concoction, Belbo is hanged by wire connected to Foucault's Pendulum.

Casaubon escapes the museum through the Paris sewers. It is unclear by this point how reliable a narrator Casaubon has been, and to what extent he has been inventing, or deceived by, conspiracy theories. The novel ends with Casaubon meditating on the events of the book, apparently resigned to the (possibly delusional) idea that the Tres will capture him soon. In literature and film, an unreliable narrator (a term coined by Wayne C. Booth in his 1961 book The Rhetoric of Fiction[1]) is a literary device in which the credibility of the narrator is seriously compromised. ...

Quotations

The book begins with a long quote in Hebrew, which comes from page seven of Philip Gruberger's book The Kabbalah: A Study of the Ten Luminous Emanations from Rabbi Isaac Luria with the Commentaries Sufficient for the Beginner Vol. II, published in Jerusalem by the Research Center of Kabbalah in 1973. The quotation translates into English as follows: Hebrew redirects here. ... Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–July 25, 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. ... Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim) (Standard) Yerushalayim or Yerushalaim Arabic commonly القـُدْس (Al-Quds); officially in Israel أورشليم القدس (Urshalim-Al-Quds) Name Meaning Hebrew: (see below), Arabic: The Holiness Government City District Jerusalem Population 724,000 (2006) Jurisdiction 123,000 dunams (123 km²) Mayor Uri Lupolianski Web Address www. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

When the Light of the Endless was drawn in the form of a straight line in the Void... it was not drawn and extended immediately downwards, indeed it extended slowly — that is to say, at first the Line of Light began to extend and at the very start of its extension in the secret of the Line it was drawn and shaped into a wheel, perfectly circular all around.

Each of the following 119 chapters also begin with one or two quotes, mostly from esoteric books (including one quote from The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, which is mentioned in passing in the same chapter). One unusual quote (from Eco's private correspondence with renowned architect and engineer Mario Salvadori) describes the physics of a hanging victim as an approximation of a pendulum. Book cover of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail 2005 illustrated hardcover edition The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (retitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail in the United States) is a controversial book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, which was based in large part on Pierre... Mario Salvadori was an architect, structural engineer and professor at Columbia University. ... Suicide by hanging. ... Simple gravity pendulum assumes no air resistance and no friction of/at the nail/screw. ...

Major themes

Most books written in this genre seem to focus on the mysterious, and aim to provide their own version of the conspiracy theory. Eco avoids this rather elegantly, without holding back on the historical mystery surrounding the Knights Templar. Although the main plot does follow a (remarkably well thought out) Plan, the book focuses on the development of the characters, and their slow transition from skeptical editors, mocking the Manutius manuscripts to credulous Diabolicals themselves.

Belbo's writings are a recurrent theme throughout the book. The entire book is narrated in first person by Casaubon, with brief interludes from the files on Abulafia. These passages are often eccentrically written, and deal in most part with Belbo's childhood, his constant sense of failure, and his obsession with Lorenza. The interludes from his childhood serve as stark contrast to the mythical world of cults and conspiracies. Belbo is extremely careful to not try and create (literature), because he deems himself unworthy, although it becomes somewhat obvious that writing is his passion. This attitude fits in with the overall irony focused on in the book, considering that Belbo is eventually consumed by (re)creation of the Plan.

Casaubon is a scholar. While Belbo seeks inner peace, Casaubon's quest is of knowledge. The uncertainty of scientific knowledge and human experience is explored in his character, as he participates in various extra-natural events. His narratives abandon his strict realism and become increasingly inclined towards the supernatural as the novel progresses.

Mr. Garamond, whose primary business is selling dreams (through his vanity press outlet), comes to believe the fantasy world his authors weave. It is possible though, that he had always been a "Diabolical", and founded his publishing business to fish for information. A vanity press or vanity publisher is a book printer which, while claiming to be a publisher, charges writers a fee in return for publishing their books or otherwise makes most of its money from the author rather than from the public. ...

Secret societies

The following are some of the secret and not-so-secret groups and beliefs that appear in Foucault's Pendulum: A secret society is an organization that requires its members to conceal certain activities—such as rites of initiation—from outsiders. ...

Wiktionary, the free dictionary, has a concordance of the 'difficult' words from Foucault's Pendulum

• The Knights Templar (the main players)
• The Rosicrucians
• The Gnostics
• The Freemasons
• The Bavarian Illuminati
• The Elders of Zion
• The Assassins of Alamut
• The Cabalists
• The Cathars
• The Jesuits
• An obscure one-time reference to the fictional Cthulhu cult through a quote from The Satanic Rituals - "I'a Cthulhu! I'a S'ha-t'n!". The words closed a ritual composed by Michael Aquino. Originally just "I'a Cthulhu!", Anton LaVey added "I'a S'ha-t'n!" to give it a "Satanic touch" [1].

The following are actually not involved with the Plan: Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 150 languages. ... For other uses, see concordance. ... The Seal of the Knights Templar This article is about the medieval military order. ... The Temple of the Rosy Cross, Teophilus Schweighardt Constantiens, 1618 The Rosicrucians are a legendary and secretive order dating from the 15th or 17th century, generally associated with the symbol of the Rose Cross, which is also used in certain rituals of the Freemasons. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ... This is an article about groups called the Illuminati. For information on the games, see Illuminati (game) and Illuminati: New World Order. ... 1992 Russian language imprint, adapting Eliphas Levis portrayal of Baphomet image The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (Russian: , see also other titles) is an antisemitic literary forgery that purports to describe a Jewish plot to achieve world domination. ... The Hashshashin (also Hashishin, Hashashiyyin or Assassins) was a religious sect (often referred to as a cult) of Ismaili Muslims from the Nizari sub-sect. ... The remains of the fabled Alamut castle. ... Kabbala may refer to; Kabbala Village, in the Karnataka State of India Kabbalah, is a religious philosophical system claiming an insight into divine nature. ... Cathars being expelled from Carcassonne in 1209. ... Seal of the Society of Jesus. ... Cthulhu and Rlyeh Cthulhu (other spellings: Kutulu, Ktulu, Cthulu, Kthulhut, Thu Thu, Tulu[1], and many others) is a fictional entity created by horror author H.P. Lovecraft. ... The Satanic Rituals is a book by Anton Szandor LaVey published in 1972 as a companion volume to The Satanic Bible. ... Michael A. Aquino, Ph. ... Anton Szandor LaVey Anton Szandor LaVey (11 April 1930 – 29 October 1997) was the founder and High Priest of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, musician, and actor. ...

• Panta Rei
• Candomblé and Umbanda
• Opus Dei (mentioned in passing)

Ilê Axé Iya Nassô Oká - Terreiro da Casa Branca Candomblé is an African religion practiced chiefly in Brazil but also in adjacent countries. ... Umbanda is a religion that blends Catholicism, Kardecist Spiritualism, and Afro-Brazilian religions . ... Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, is an international organization which is part of the Roman Catholic Church. ...

Comparison with other books

Foucault's Pendulum has lately been called a "thinking person's Da Vinci Code," ^[1] referring to the bestselling novel by the American novelist Dan Brown that followed it by more than a decade. A parchment that inspires the Plan and its multiple possible interpretations (mundane or otherwise) plays a role similar to that of the parchments in the Rennes-le-Château conspiracy theories, made famous by the Code and, before that, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and other similar books. In contrast to Brown's book, which postulates these theories as being true in its fictional world, Eco's work is about, among other things, the futility of conspiracy theories and the people who believe them. The plot and structure of Foucault's Pendulum are also reminiscent of that of the American "popular fiction" series, The Illuminatus! Trilogy, published 13 years earlier; it is unclear if Eco was aware of the earlier work before he conceived the idea. The Da Vinci Code book cover The Da Vinci Code is a novel written by American author Dan Brown and published in 2003 by Doubleday Fiction (ISBN 0385504209). ... Dan Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for writing the controversial 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. ... Rennes-le-Château is a medieval castle village and a commune in the Aude département, in the Languedoc area in southern France. ... Book cover of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail 2005 illustrated hardcover edition The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (retitled Holy Blood, Holy Grail in the United States) is a controversial book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, which was based in large part on Pierre... The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson primarily between 1969 and 1971. ...

See also

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Foucault's Pendulum

• wiktionary:Concordance:Foucault's Pendulum
• List of esoteric subjects in Foucault's Pendulum
• The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
• The Illuminatus! Trilogy

Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This is a list of obscure subjects mentioned in Foucaults Pendulum. ... Arturo Pérez-Revertes novel The Club Dumas, published in 1998, is set in a world of antiquarian booksellers echoing his previous work, The Flanders Panel. ... Spanish stamp (2002) tribute to Captain Alatriste Arturo Pérez-Reverte (b. ... The Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson primarily between 1969 and 1971. ...

Notes

2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ...

References

• Eco, Umberto; Weaver, William (trans.) (1989). Foucault's Pendulum. London: Secker & Warburg. 

External links

• "Foucault pendulum video" Foucault pendulum at the Musée des arts et métiers, Paris, France) (video clip)
• List of Eco's fiction with short introductions
• Digital Illustrations based on the book by artist Fabio Arciniegas