VALIS and Robert Anton Wilson's

Historical Illuminatus Chronicles

Paul M. Elliott

You may have seen R.A. Wilson's comments and review blurbs on PKD's work (he likes it). In The Widow's Son (volume two of the Chronicles), he has numerous allusions to PKD's VALIS and Exegesis works. Given the subject matter of Wilson's novel it wouldn't be surprising to find several common references, but when I find so many in such close proximity, it seems clear (to me) that more than coincidence is at work. Examples:

p. 243. "The true nature of existence is always hiding itself from us." (Heraclitus).

p. 244. "Sigismundo began writing his autobiography - in the third person, to get outside and look at himself with detachment..."

p. 245. "... and even analyses himself to the point where he has quite split in two, the one who would act and create, and the one who questions each action and creation..."

p. 277. "The seed is alive and intelligent... The intelligence of the seed is vast, because it is old, very old. Each of us is a temporary mansion in which the seed lives for a while, in its journey across the aeons."

p. 289. "... but it must be that consciousness itself is an infinite regress."

p. 310. "And one could forget all about the Poor Old Woman and all those lovely, autochthonous songs..."

This last one, the use of the word "autochthonous" (which means "native" or "indigenous") points to The Divine Invasion, the only other novel in which I have ever seen this word.

No really profound observation, I know. Just something that I found interesting.

By the way, volumes one and two of R.A. Wilson's books were enjoyable to read, although sometimes the footnotes became irritating. Better to read than a cereal box, but not great novels, in my humble opinion.