De Selby
Encyclopedia
De Selby is the name of a fictitious Irish
philosopher and scientist, originally invented by Flann O'Brien
for his novel The Third Policeman
. In this novel the character is known as "de Selby", with the latter capital D appearing in use in O'Brien's The Dalkey Archive
. De Selby does not actually appear in the plot of the novel, but only in references and frequent footnotes, where his unorthodox theories and areas of research are, however tenuously, linked to the plot. De Selby is heavily referenced in footnotes in this book, the longest of which takes up the bottom halves of eight pages and ends on a completely different note from the one on which it began.
De Selby has a host of critical analyzers – the narrator among them – many of whom have highly conflicting opinions of his esoteric thoughts. Although generally held in high regard by these people (many of whom hate each other), he is thought by many to have had regrettable lapses and is even called, by implication, a "nincompoop".
De Selby also appears in O'Brien's The Dalkey Archive
, in which he develops a substance ("D.M.P.") capable of extracting all oxygen
from an airtight enclosure, of disrupting the sequentiality of time, and of producing fine mature whiskey in a week. De Selby vows to use the substance to destroy the world in the name of God.
American author Robert Anton Wilson
used de Selby in footnotes in his novel The Widow's Son. Wilson's de Selby is an expanded version of O'Brien's, and was involved in an unrequited romance with one of Gertrude Stein
's lovers, a bitter academic feud spanning decades, and possibly intrigues involving the CIA. Also, Wilson replaces the concept of black air with that of teratological molecules, which are said to cause stunting of growth and are banished by electric light.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
philosopher and scientist, originally invented by Flann O'Brien
Flann O'Brien
Brian O'Nolan was an Irish novelist, playwright and satirist regarded as a key figure in postmodern literature. Best known for novels such as At Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman and An Béal Bocht and many satirical columns in The Irish Times Brian O'Nolan (5 October 1911 – 1 April 1966) was...
for his novel The Third Policeman
The Third Policeman
The Third Policeman is a novel by Irish author Brian O'Nolan, writing under the pseudonym Flann O'Brien. It was written between 1939 and 1940, but after it initially failed to find a publisher, the author withdrew the manuscript from circulation and claimed he had lost it. The book remained...
. In this novel the character is known as "de Selby", with the latter capital D appearing in use in O'Brien's The Dalkey Archive
The Dalkey Archive
The Dalkey Archive is a novel by the Irish writer Flann O'Brien. It is his fifth and final novel, published in 1964, two years before his death. It features a mad scientist, De Selby, who tries to destroy the world by removing all the oxygen from the air. He has also many strange inventions...
. De Selby does not actually appear in the plot of the novel, but only in references and frequent footnotes, where his unorthodox theories and areas of research are, however tenuously, linked to the plot. De Selby is heavily referenced in footnotes in this book, the longest of which takes up the bottom halves of eight pages and ends on a completely different note from the one on which it began.
De Selby has a host of critical analyzers – the narrator among them – many of whom have highly conflicting opinions of his esoteric thoughts. Although generally held in high regard by these people (many of whom hate each other), he is thought by many to have had regrettable lapses and is even called, by implication, a "nincompoop".
De Selby also appears in O'Brien's The Dalkey Archive
The Dalkey Archive
The Dalkey Archive is a novel by the Irish writer Flann O'Brien. It is his fifth and final novel, published in 1964, two years before his death. It features a mad scientist, De Selby, who tries to destroy the world by removing all the oxygen from the air. He has also many strange inventions...
, in which he develops a substance ("D.M.P.") capable of extracting all oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
from an airtight enclosure, of disrupting the sequentiality of time, and of producing fine mature whiskey in a week. De Selby vows to use the substance to destroy the world in the name of God.
American author Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson
Robert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
used de Selby in footnotes in his novel The Widow's Son. Wilson's de Selby is an expanded version of O'Brien's, and was involved in an unrequited romance with one of Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
's lovers, a bitter academic feud spanning decades, and possibly intrigues involving the CIA. Also, Wilson replaces the concept of black air with that of teratological molecules, which are said to cause stunting of growth and are banished by electric light.