Conspiracy Theory and Conspiracism in Postwar Literature
Conspiracy theory is a challenging term. It often describes a form of the irrational belief that conspiracies with nefarious goals exist. However, conspiracy theory can be an epistemological approach to investigate the possibility that a conspiracy exists. I argue that it must be distinguished from "conspiracism," a term that describes a worldview that explains everything as a conspiracy. This dissertation explores how postwar novels, by Thomas Pynchon, Ishmael Reed, and Umberto Eco, represent the political and cultural challenges that conspiracy theory and conspiracism present. This dissertation proposes that conspiracy theories can be rational. They are, in general, not prima facie irrational simply because they are conspiracy theories, and in some cases, they are supported by inaccurate evidence. I argue that conspiracy theory must not be conflated with conspiracism, which is the constant belief that there are always conspiracies behind what occurs in reality. Conspiracism insists that a conspiracy exists despite the evidence that may prove otherwise. What distinguishes the rational investigation of conspiracies from the irrational and exaggerated belief in conspiracy theories is that the former maintains trust in the factual evidence that proves the conspiracy exists. In contrast, the latter refuses any evidence that proves otherwise. Conspiracy theory and conspiracism manifest differently in these novels. Firstly, Pynchon's novels highlight the use of conspiracy theory as a rational approach to investigate conspiracies. The protagonists of his novels, Oedipa Maas in The Crying of Lot 49 and Tyrone Slothrop in Gravity's Rainbow, face several epistemological challenges as they attempt to uncover the truth about the possible conspiracies which target them. Secondly, Reed's novel shows how conspiracism impedes the investigation of ac actual conspiracy that occurs within the novel. Papa LaBas, the protagonist, tries to justify his claim that a conspiracy exists but fails to justify it by rational evidence. Finally, Eco's Foucault's Pendulum showcases the willingness of the conspiracist characters to persist in their investigation of a conspiracy that does not exist. His protagonists present the counterarguments, showing the implausibility of the conspiracist claim that a secret plan exists. The novels discussed are instrumental in exploring the issues of conspiracy theory and conspiracism, mainly since they reflect the cultural issues resulting from the Cold War period in which they were published.
Conspiracy theory is a challenging term. It often describes a form of the irrational belief that conspiracies with nefarious goals exist. However, conspiracy theory can be an epistemological…
For decades, conspiracy theory has always been perceived as an expression of paranoid experience. Because of the analogical connection between paranoia and conspiracy theory, the latter has been…
Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49, a classic postmodern text, features its central character, Oedipa Maas, as she goes through a journey through which she investigates the…