Zanoni
Encyclopedia
Zanoni is an 1842 novel
by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
, a story of love and occult
aspiration. By way of introduction, the author confesses: "...It so chanced that some years ago, in my younger days, whether of authorship or life, I felt the desire to make myself acquainted with the true origins and tenets of the singular sect known by the name of Rosicrucians." A manuscript came into his hands written in the most unintelligible cipher
, a manuscript which through the author's own interpretation became Zanoni.
civilization. His master Mejnor warns him against a love affair but Zanoni does not heed. He finally marries Viola and they have a child. As Zanoni experiences an increase in humanity, he begins to lose his gift of immortality. He finally dies in the guillotine
during the French Revolution
.
. In Zanoni, Bulwer-Lytton alludes to deep Rosicrucian mysteries regarding the four elements, secrets which only initiated Rosicrucians have the power to reveal, the ultimate goal being the discovery of the Elixir of life
and the attainment of immortality and eternal youth. This is all depicted in Zanoni himself who at the time of Babylon
abandoned all human passions in order to become immortal but during the French Revolution, in order to become human again, he falls in love and dies in the guillotine.
The name Zanoni is derived from the Chaldean root zan, meaning "sun", and the chief character is endowed with solar attributes.
and Neo-Platonism, Zanoni evokes the themes of the four types of divine madness covered in Plato
's Phaedrus: These are prophetic, initiatic, poetic and erotic madness.
These four threads are interwoven through the entire fabric of the work, creating an atmosphere of divine madness. Even Zanoni's attempt to become human again becomes an apotheosis
with his ultimate sacrifice.
in his Disraeli prediction: "...He will die, whether in or out of office, in an exceptionally high position, greatly lamented, and surrounded to the end by all the magnificent planetary influences of a propitious Jupiter."
and in an article on Zanoni, written in 1902, he mentions Nietzche for the first time. For Orage, Zanoni's teacher Mejnor's plan to create a race of supermen is most agreeable and a reading subject worthy of Cecil Rhodes.
It is Zanoni's ultimate sacrifice that would give Bulwer-Lytton's friend Charles Dickens
an idea on how to end A Tale of Two Cities
.
According to the German Occultist Rudolf Steiner
, the Guardian of the Threshold
is an actual figure of an astral
nature which was fictionalized by Bulwer-Lytton in the novel Zanoni.
Samael Aun Weor
refers to Adonai as Zanoni's real Master and to the Guardian of the Threshold as the Psychological 'I' or reincarnating ego.
See also Ojisan Zanoni
1842 in literature
The year 1842 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Fanny Burney's diary and letters are posthumously published.*The Book of Abraham is published in two installments in the Times and Seasons....
by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
, a story of love and occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
aspiration. By way of introduction, the author confesses: "...It so chanced that some years ago, in my younger days, whether of authorship or life, I felt the desire to make myself acquainted with the true origins and tenets of the singular sect known by the name of Rosicrucians." A manuscript came into his hands written in the most unintelligible cipher
Cipher
In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
, a manuscript which through the author's own interpretation became Zanoni.
The plot
Zanoni, a timeless Rosicrucian brother, cannot fall in love without losing his power of immortality; but he does fall in love with Viola Pisani, a promising young opera singer from Naples, the daughter of Pisani, a misunderstood Italian violinist. An English gentleman named Glyndon loves Viola as well, but is indecisive about proposing marriage, and then renounces his love in order to pursue occult study. The story develops in the days of the French Revolution in 1789. Zanoni has lived since the ChaldeanBabylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
civilization. His master Mejnor warns him against a love affair but Zanoni does not heed. He finally marries Viola and they have a child. As Zanoni experiences an increase in humanity, he begins to lose his gift of immortality. He finally dies in the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
The theme
Bulwer-Lytton humanized Gothic art and evoked its poetry to suit the Victorian eraVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. In Zanoni, Bulwer-Lytton alludes to deep Rosicrucian mysteries regarding the four elements, secrets which only initiated Rosicrucians have the power to reveal, the ultimate goal being the discovery of the Elixir of life
Elixir of life
The elixir of life, also known as the elixir of immortality and sometimes equated with the philosopher's stone, is a legendary potion, or drink, that grants the drinker eternal life and or eternal youth. Many practitioners of alchemy pursued it. The elixir of life was also said to be able to create...
and the attainment of immortality and eternal youth. This is all depicted in Zanoni himself who at the time of Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
abandoned all human passions in order to become immortal but during the French Revolution, in order to become human again, he falls in love and dies in the guillotine.
The name Zanoni is derived from the Chaldean root zan, meaning "sun", and the chief character is endowed with solar attributes.
The argument
From the viewpoint of PlatonismPlatonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In a narrower sense the term might indicate the doctrine of Platonic realism...
and Neo-Platonism, Zanoni evokes the themes of the four types of divine madness covered in Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
's Phaedrus: These are prophetic, initiatic, poetic and erotic madness.
These four threads are interwoven through the entire fabric of the work, creating an atmosphere of divine madness. Even Zanoni's attempt to become human again becomes an apotheosis
Apotheosis
Apotheosis is the glorification of a subject to divine level. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre.In theology, the term apotheosis refers to the idea that an individual has been raised to godlike stature...
with his ultimate sacrifice.
The Disraeli Prediction
According to occult author C. Nelson Stewart, Bulwer-Lytton is well versed in Rosicrucian and occult lore, all of which he brings to bear on his novel Zanoni; he also demonstrates a profound knowledge of AstrologyAstrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
in his Disraeli prediction: "...He will die, whether in or out of office, in an exceptionally high position, greatly lamented, and surrounded to the end by all the magnificent planetary influences of a propitious Jupiter."
A. R. Orage, Nietzsche, Charles Dickens and Zanoni
What influence if any, Zanoni could have had on Nietzsche is a matter of pure conjecture but again Bulwer-Lytton's The Coming Race had an influence on the Nazi interpretation of the Superman. A. R. Orage himself re-read Zanoni within two years of having read Thus Spoke ZarathustraThus Spoke Zarathustra
Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None is a philosophical novel by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, composed in four parts between 1883 and 1885...
and in an article on Zanoni, written in 1902, he mentions Nietzche for the first time. For Orage, Zanoni's teacher Mejnor's plan to create a race of supermen is most agreeable and a reading subject worthy of Cecil Rhodes.
It is Zanoni's ultimate sacrifice that would give Bulwer-Lytton's friend Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
an idea on how to end A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
.
The Guardian of the Threshold
Speaking to Glyndon, Mejnour says of the Guardian, "...Know, at least, that all of us - the highest and the wisest - who have, in sober truth, passed beyond the threshold, have had, as our first fearful task, to master and subdue its grisly and appalling guardian."According to the German Occultist Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was an Austrian philosopher, social reformer, architect, and esotericist. He gained initial recognition as a literary critic and cultural philosopher...
, the Guardian of the Threshold
Guardian of the Threshold
The Guardian of the Threshold is a menacing figure that is described by a number of leading esoteric teachers. The term "Guardian of the Threshold", often called "dweller on the threshold" indicates a spectral image which is supposed to manifests itself as soon as "the student of the spirit ascends...
is an actual figure of an astral
Astral body
The astral body is a subtle body posited by many religious philosophers, intermediate between the intelligent soul and the physical body, composed of a subtle material. The concept ultimately derives from the philosophy of Plato: it is related to an astral plane, which consists of the planetary...
nature which was fictionalized by Bulwer-Lytton in the novel Zanoni.
Samael Aun Weor
Samael Aun Weor
Samael Aun Weor , born Víctor Manuel Gómez Rodríguez, Colombian citizen and later Mexican, was an author, lecturer and founder of the 'Universal Christian Gnostic Movement' with his teaching of 'The Doctrine of Synthesis' of all religions in both their esoteric and exoteric aspects...
refers to Adonai as Zanoni's real Master and to the Guardian of the Threshold as the Psychological 'I' or reincarnating ego.
External links
See also Ojisan Zanoni
Ojisan Zanoni
Ojisan Zanoni is a novel by Michael C. Willey published by Matador in 2006.It tells the story of a young English man, Christopher, and a Japanese girl, Ayami, who meet while climbing in New Zealand....