Colin Wilson, The Mind Parasites

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The Mind Parasites

(1967), Colin Wilson’s seventh novel and his first venture into science fiction, is a compelling story which also succeeds in symbolizing his central concerns. In a “Prefatory Note” to his next novel,

The Philosopher’s Stone

(1969), Wilson locates the kernel of

Parasites

in an analogy he used in

Introduction to the New Existentialism

(1966):

[I]t would seem that there is some mysterious agency that wishes to hold men back, to prevent them from gaining full use of their powers. It is as if man contained an invisible parasite, whose job is to keep man unaware of his freedom. (Wilson (1966), 161)

[I]t would seem that there is some mysterious agency that wishes to hold men back, to prevent them from gaining full use of their powers. It is as if man contained…

2809 words

Citation: Tredell, Nicolas. "The Mind Parasites". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 June 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23929, accessed 28 March 2024.]

23929 The Mind Parasites 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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