FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM
Foucault's Pendulum
An intellectual labyrinth of history and conspiracy
Published in 1988, Umberto Eco’s Foucault's Pendulum is a monumental work of postmodern fiction that serves as both a grand conspiracy thriller and a sharp critique of the human obsession with secret histories. Often compared to The Da Vinci Code, it is significantly more complex, challenging the reader with a vast array of esoteric knowledge.
The story follows three cynical editors at a Milanese publishing house—Casaubon, Belbo, and Diotallevi. After years of reading manuscripts about occultism and secret societies, they decide to create their own "Plan" for fun. They weave together the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucians, the Freemasons, and a fictional global energy current, only to find that secret societies they thought they had invented begin to take "The Plan" dangerously seriously.
Umberto Eco utilizes the pendulum at the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris as a central symbol of an absolute point of truth in a world where meanings are constantly shifting. The novel is a brilliant exploration of how the mind can find patterns where none exist, and how a lie, if complex enough, can become a reality that consumes its creators.
Literary Context
Umberto Eco was a world-renowned semiotician, and this novel is the ultimate playground for his theories. Every mention of a historical figure or document is meticulously researched, making the boundary between historical fact and fictional speculation dangerously thin.
The novel is structured according to the Sephirotic Tree of the Kabbalah, with chapters corresponding to different mystical spheres. It is a demanding read that rewards the curious mind with a profound meditation on the dangers of seeking absolute truth where there is only interpretative chaos.