Brotherhood (The)

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Are there any not-insane books, chapters etc (I've seen vague references to articles in 'Annales Historiques de la Revolution Francaise') on the role of Freemasonry / Illuminism in the Revolution? (Ken Campbell, theatre performer and benignly nutty theorist, died yesterday and it reminded me...I saw him do a performance in a masonic lodge in Edinburgh - it was being used as a temporary venue - and the iconography carved into the walls etc. was very similar that of the revolution's visual motifs). It seems to be either completely ignored in the 'regular' history books, other than occasional references - Claretie had some item of Desmoulins' masonic regalia, I think - or prompt lunatic frothing rantings in right-wing conspiracy theory books from Thermidor onwards. I presume regular historians don't want to go there because of the nebulousness or the weirdness it generally prompts, but if you're going to discuss Rousseau and co and their influence, it seems ridiculous to then ignore what is also so clearly a factor in the lives of the various players : it would make sense if the Breton deputies were freemasons, for example, but all discussion in books then either vanishes or becomes wild...(and very funny).

Comments

[trf-chan.livejournal.com]

I don't really know. :/ All I've ever seen is the insane, right-wing frothing you spoke of.

[victoriavandal.livejournal.com]

Yes, whilst the 'we Freemasons are happy and fun with a long and interesting history!' lodge websites like to claim Desmoulins as one of their own but always forget to mention Robespierre - now why is that...? There's a hilarious 70's acid-head spin-off from the 'Illuminatus!' sort-of-sci-fi trilogy which claims that Robespierre's 'illnesses', Couthon's alternative medicine breaks and Saint-Just's, er, missions, presumably - were in fact amazing fiendish secret covers for them to go off to secret illuminati training camps for programming like in 'the Manchurian Candidate'. Er, yes. Well. But it was nice to see Couthon getting a name-check, at least! (Oh, of course! He's Davros!)

[chip-squidley.livejournal.com]

On this same tangent...

A few years ago there was a book called _The Last Alchemist_, a serious and "just the facts" biography of Cagliostro that gives a good account of the Queen's Necklace affair without any wild flights of fantasy. I found it in the library, so I don't have the author's name at my fingertips.

[chip-squidley.livejournal.com]

These discussions on Masonry caused my to recall the "Loggia P2" affair in Italy that came to light back in the 80s. Although it was right-wing and even crpto-facist, as I recall, a study of it might reveal some principles about how these things might work.

It's something I might take a closer look at some day, but the accounts in English that I've come across over the years are pretty short outlines. I would probably have to improve my Italian reading skills for that.

[citoyenneclark.livejournal.com]

Actually, Susanne Alleyn's next book is about Freemasonry and the French Rev. Her book are highly accurate. I'm sure you could e-mail her, and she'd send you in the right direction.