h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm reading "The Story of Alice," by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst. On page 54, the author says says:

"He [Lewis Carroll] remained addicted to the number forty-two, which long before Douglas Adams selected it as the answer to ;'life, the universe ad everything' was making numerous guest appearances in Carroll's stories."

In the courtroom scene in "Alice in Wonderland," the King cites rule 42. In "Hunting of the Snark," there is also a rule 42, and the Baker has 42 boxes. "Alice in Wonderland: has 42 illustrations, and the original plan for "Alice Through the Looking glass" called for 42 illustrations as well.

This was news to me, but I suppose that other researchers probably already knew it....

It's not the only thing he had a fondness for. Had he been alive today, he'd probably be sharing a cell with Radio 1 DJs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll#Discussion_of_Dodgson.27s_sexuality

Some time in the last ten years or so, someone sifted through previously undiscovered diary entries of Carroll/Dodgson and decided that it was Alice's *mother* he was interested in, not any of the little girls. Carroll was shy, which might have been a result of an embarrassing lisp for which some of his pupils teased him. He scored so high on his oxford exams that a fellowship came his way, entitling him to live on campus for the rest of his life as long as he didn't marry [there was also a requirement of ordination to the clergy, which he seems to have somehow bypassed, though he did serve as a deacon].


If this arrangement seems odd to us, it wouldn't have seemed so odd in various time and places in previous centuries. Galileo was also forbidden to marry in order to continue his activities as a teacher. His three children were all conceived out of wedlock, though his son was later legitimized by the Vatican in order to carry on the family's line.

I never read any of the Lewis Carroll's Alice books but I have seen the TV/Film adaptations as I was more into Charles Dickens books.

That is very interesting to know that Douglas Neil Adams was not the first person to use the 42 metaphor/equation in literature.

42 number
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_%28number%29

Sorry here is the link again:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)

Thanks for the link, Thinker.

I'm a huge fan of Carroll's books about Alice, less so the "Hunting of the Snark." I've never read "Bruno and Sylvie," which some critics think is not worth reading anyway.

Not being much of a fan of mathematics myself, I have often wondered why people would voluntarily mess about with it.

Apparently, Lewis Carroll recommended doing mathematical problems in your head as a cure for 'unholy thoughts'...he said this in his introduction to 'Curiosa mathematica, Part II'.

Me, I think I'll stick with the unholy thoughts.

Douglas' middle name was Noel.

Paul, another author that was may favourite as a child was the Dr Seuss books especially the cat in the hat 'the green eggs and ham'.

Thanks TC

I liked Dr. Seuss a lot, too.

As for unholy thoughts, I annoyed my mother by reading mad Magazine all the time. She finally confiscated all my copies, whereupon my younger brother found where they were and read them himself.

I've always been very taken with the conventionalization from the Gemmatria, a systemization of archetypes predating the first written codifications of the Bible and also coming up in the the old Norse tales and other classical systems of mythology including Babylonian and Hindu sources:

"There are 26 wise ones, ten who guide the destiny of the city, 7 great sages.

These and only these are immune from the domination of the angel of death."




It should be understood that the angel of death (Azrael) is one of their number.

Does that mean they're still alive? Or were they ever alive to begin with? Has anyone living ever seen any of them?

The seven great sages of antiquity are supposed to include Solon of Greece, Zoroaster of Persia, Visvamitra of India, King Wen of China.

Formulations vary though.

"Ten who guide the destiny of the city", Joseph, the son of Israel, Confucius.




The "twenty six wise ones" represent angelic archetypes.




The Toltec variant on the formulation includes an additional passage:




"Besides these, there are three more, whom may be styled the few and the brave and another whose name is known only to the eater of filth."




The Mexican and mesoamerican idiom 'eater of filth' doesn't translate well into English, but refers to their cognate of Hestia, Vesta of the Romans, in her capacity as mother confessor and keeper of the sacred flame of purification, to be reckoned as one of the 26 wise ones.

"The seven great sages of antiquity are supposed to include Solon of Greece, Zoroaster of Persia, Visvamitra of India, King Wen of China" [ITIWBS]

Not necessarily. True, the idea that there were seven great sages [not 6? not *? Not some other number?] seems common to different cultures, but Solon is mentioned by Plato, while the Bhagavadgita concerns itself with Indian worthies, and Zoroaster [or Vishtaspa] was in ancient Iran. Who in the Ancient World looked beyond the borders of his own culture for great wisdom?

Like I said, formulations vary.

Solon was also mentor of Socrates grandfather.

Who in the ancient world looked beyond the boundaries of his own culture for wisdom?

King Wen, in the process of formulating the "I Ching" during a period of captivity, looked for it in nature and particularly in weather.

...the Arabs today still refer to the Iranians as 'Persians'...

...the life of Visvamitra was a study in culture shock...




...the '47' figure of the Toltec addition figures also in the "Mabinogian", "CuChullain's Wedding" and the "Old Norse Tales", "Svipdap's Journey", representing in either case deliberate efforts to induce nervous breakdown.

Svipdap's response to the Goddess Llyr is instructive.

So is that of King Arthur to the conditions imposed by the father of CuChullain's intended...

Getting back to the number 42.....

In Act 4, Scene 1 of "Romeo and Juliet," Friar Lawrence says to Juliet, "Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,. And then awake as from a pleasant sleep," referring to the time Juliet will appear dead while under the influence of a potion.

Generally, if Shakespeare smiled on something, you could use him as reinforcement for whatever you are saying.