References to other texts

One of the most influential texts of the period, originally published in France in 1960, then translated in the mid-Sixties, (released in the USA as "The Dawn of Magic"). Not only does it reference Charles Fort, and describe alternate histories, secret societies, conspiracies, etc, but it takes a Surreal approach to the effects of imagination on human cultures, and tackles belief systems as well as the possible evolution of humans.

As proof that it affected more than the general approach, try this:

"On the 25th February, 1957, a frogman was searching for the body of a student drowned in Devil's Lake in Czechoslovakia. He came to the surface white as a sheet, terrified and unable to utter a word. When he had recovered his speech he declated that he had just seen a phantom array of German soldiers in uniform lying on the bottom of the lake, together with a caravan of chariots and horses in their harness standing upright." (p 123 Souvenir Press edition 2001) - Note: the book contains no references, so this Fortean tale, in spite of the precise date, may prove an urban myth, or suchlike.

For an excellent essay on this very influential book, try The Quixotic Dialectical Metaphysical Manifesto: Morning of the Magicans, by R.T.Gault.

The Magus

John Fowles' book (which he later re-edited) also had a lot of influence on people in the late 60s. Apart from the bewilderment of a novice suffering initiation ordeals at the hands of a mysterious prankster guru, we can see specific references like the slideshow used on Saul Goodman as part of the brain-washing process. The exact same scene and method appears in The Magus, as Nicholas Urfe gets shown shocking slides of his loved one...

The Last Words of Dutch Schultz

This 'novel' by William Burroughs (in the form of a screenplay) - as well as the cut-up process in general - form a significant influence on the Illuminatus! text.