Seperate Plot thread

[Traveller]

There have been requests for a separate plot thread, where we discuss the plot pure and simple as divorced from the extra that we need to look up because we're not walking encyclopedias. :P

Will return soon...

[Traveller]

I am happy to write out the plot, but am at a bit of a loss as to in which format to present it, since it is presented in a non-linear manner as the book progresses.

Wait, how about I do a plot progression post at the top of each thread?

Hmmm...

Input from members is welcome.

[Traveller]

How about something like this: (members must remember that a lot of what we learn is narrated from a 'future' point of view, while Casaubon is hiding inside the periscope in the musuem; but I'm attempting to tell the story in its 'correct' chronological sequence as it happened in 'reality' or, along a linear timeline, so to speak.)

Please feel free to tell me where I have left things out that you feel might be vital to the central 'present-day' plotline. I am specifically NOT including what happened in the past with the Templars and the Rosicrucians and whoever in the reconstruction of the 'current-day' plotline, for clarity's sake.

Plotline concerning CASAUBON, as chronologically re-arranged, as it is revealed up to end of Chapter 22:
(view spoiler)[
We meet Casaubon for the first time when he is a Milanese university student working towards his PhD, on a thesis dealing with the Templars. During this time, he meets Jacopo Belbo, a book publisher working with scholarly texts, at their favorite pub, Pilades. Belbo introduces Casaubon to Belbo's colleague Diotallevi, and asks Casaubon's advice regarding a manuscript written about a secret regarding the Templars, as presented to them by a man calling himself Colonel Ardenti.

Ardenti tells them that he had found a manuscript in the rooms of a man called Ingolf, which deals with some kind of secret regarding the Templars. Ingolf had disappeared under unknown circumstances. The next day, Belbo is informed by the police that Ardenti had also disappeared, during the night under mysterious circumstances, after being visited by two unknown men and had been reported murdered, although Ardenti's body had mysteriously disappeared after being seen lying on his bed by a member of the public. A certain Rakosky is suspected of having something to do with Ardenti's disappearance.
(hide spoiler)]

Up to end of Chapter 33 :
(view spoiler)[
In the meantime, Casaubon had met a dark Brazilian girl with a Western education called Amparo somewhere in Milan and fallen in love with her after which he follows her to Brazil. In Brazil, they meet a certain Mr Agliè, who is very knowledgeable about the occult, and who hints that he is the Comte de Saint-Germain, (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of... ) who according to himself, had not died and would now be around 800 years old, since the original Count De Germain had claimed to be 500 years old.

Casaubon and Amparo have many adventures regarding occult experiences involving the syncretized religious practices of South America, where African voodoo type religious practices mix with Roman Catholicism and Indian mysticism and magic.

At some point he receives a letter from Belbo, recounting an experience Belbo had had regarding a seance-like ritual involving a group called Picatrix, the object of which was to channel the spirit of an 18th century con-artist called Cagliostro. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessand...).
There appeared to be some link in all of this to the Colonel Ardenti affair, as Belbo learns from Inspector De Angelis, after which the spirit medium involved in the seance whom Belbo had been wanting to talk to, disappears, yet again under mysterious circumstances.

Back in Brazil: While attending a seance-like ritual involving drums, chanting, dancing and ecstatic 'posession-type' altered states of consciousness, Amparo realizes that she has not, after all, managed to shake off her Brazilian roots as she had thought, and she and Casaubon part ways. After moping around Rio for roughly another year, Casaubon decides he's had enough, and ambles back to Milan. (hide spoiler)]

...to end of Chapter 39
(view spoiler)[
Back in Milan, Casaubon mopes around his old haunts like Pilades and the university, ruminating on his unemployed status. After a while, he realizes that he is suited to do culture-related research assignments on a more or less academic level for people such as students, writers and academics in general, and rents himself out as a 'cultural PI' ;) (The internet would soon have put him out of a job, had he been born a few years later, poor Casaubon).
He meets a girl called Lia, who does similar work, and they fall in love and move in together.

We are told, in a side narrative by way of Casaubon having read a file that Belbo had written, of Belbo's failed romance with a woman called Lorenza Pellegrini , and via the same file, are introduced to a psychologist by name of Wagner, in a section which contains some of the funniest passages I have ever read in literary fiction, even funnier than David Foster Wallace.
Casaubon starts to work for Garamond press, and finds out that they have a sister publishing company that is basically a vanity press which cons wannabe authors even more than today's SPA's tend to get conned. (hide spoiler)]

[Michele]

This is perfect! thank you!!

[Traveller]

Cool Michele, I'm still working on it, and will add chunks of summarized updates to message 3 as I get them written out. :)

As I said, please feel free to suggest additions or explanations as you guys see fit. :)

[Saski]

Ahh, and now it all makes sense. :)

[Traveller]

:)
I've updated Message 3 up to end of chapter 39 now, if anyone is interested.

[EdMohs]

excellent Traveller !
first time I've seen this post

Casuabon moping! Classic!

With that sort of knowledge
certainly you've read the book more than twice?

[Traveller]

EdMohs wrote: "excellent Traveller !
first time I've seen this post

Casuabon moping! Classic!

With that sort of knowledge
certainly you've read the book more than twice?"

Ha, I am not THAT brave, EdMohs...

[EdMohs]

That's amazing Traveller !
you did such an excellent job
moderating this thread
and have such a grasp of FP.

My 8 times I don't touch ya in comprehension ha ha

[EdMohs]

Here's my idea to interest people who may have consider reading 'Foucault’s Pendulum' but may be hesitant to start for variety of reasons.

Start in Chapter 16-right after –
FILE NAME: Canal
That is the last part of that chapter.
Page 117 in my hard cover
Its just a page long.

That sentence starts with
‘After the day of the march….

Then read through Chapter 17 -21
about 44 pages.

In that short read you be introduced to
the 3 main characters
Belbo, Casaubon & Diotallevi
plus Colonel Ardenti.

Its basically a straightforward treasure hunting scheme which includes the Plan ha ha