Neal Stephenson and Baroque Cycle characters

''The Baroque Cycle'' is a series of novels by American writer

Neal Stephenson Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and baroque. Stephenson's work explores mathemati ...

. It was published in three volumes containing eight books in 2003 and 2004. The story follows the adventures of a sizable cast of characters living amidst some of the central events of the late 17th and early 18th centuries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Central America. Despite featuring a literary treatment consistent with historical fiction, Stephenson has characterized the work as

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

, because of the presence of some anomalous occurrences and the work's particular emphasis on themes relating to science and technology. The sciences of cryptology and

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

feature heavily in the series, as they do in some of Stephenson's other works.

Books

The ''Baroque Cycle'' consists of several novels "lumped together into three volumes because it is more convenient from a publishing standpoint"; Stephenson felt calling the works a ''trilogy'' would be "bogus". Appearing in print in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, the cycle contains eight books originally published in three volumes: * '' Quicksilver, Vol. I of the Baroque Cycle'' – Arthur C. Clarke Award winner,

Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...

nominee, 2004 ** Book 1 – Quicksilver ** Book 2 – King of the Vagabonds ** Book 3 – Odalisque * '' The Confusion, Vol. II of the Baroque Cycle'' – Locus Award winner ** Book 4 – Bonanza ** Book 5 – The Juncto * '' The System of the World, Vol. III of the Baroque Cycle'' – Locus Award winner, Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, 2005 ** Book 6 – Solomon's Gold ** Book 7 – Currency ** Book 8 – The System of the World

Setting

The books travel throughout

early modern Europe Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the mid 15th century to the late 18th century. Histori ...

between the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy and the beginning of the 18th century. Though most of the focus is in Europe, the adventures of one character, Jack Shaftoe, do take him throughout the world, and the fledgling British colonies in North America are important to another (Daniel Waterhouse). ''Quicksilver'' takes place mainly in the years between the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in England (1660) and the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

of 1688. ''The Confusion'' follows ''Quicksilver'' without temporal interruption, but ranges geographically from Europe and the Mediterranean through

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. ''The System of the World'' takes place principally in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1714, about ten years after the events of ''The Confusion''.

Themes

A central theme in the series is Europe's transformation away from feudal rule and control toward the rational, scientific, and more merit-based systems of government, finance, and social development that define what is now considered "western" and "modern". Characters include Sir

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment that followed ...

Gottfried Leibniz Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (or Leibnitz; – 14 November 1716) was a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist and diplomat who is credited, alongside Isaac Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, with the creation of calculus in ad ...

Nicolas Fatio de Duillier Nicolas Fatio de Duillier (also spelled Faccio or Facio; 16 February 1664 – 10 May 1753) was a mathematician, Natural philosophy, natural philosopher, astronomer, inventor, and religious campaigner. Born in Basel, Switzerland, Fatio mostly ...

, William of Orange,

Louis XIV of France LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

Peter the Great Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...

, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and many other people of note of that time. The fictional characters of Eliza, Jack and Daniel collectively cause real historic effects. The books feature considerable sections concerning

alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

. The principal alchemist of the tale is the mysterious Enoch Root, who, along with the descendants of several characters in this series, is also featured in the Stephenson novels ''

Cryptonomicon ''Cryptonomicon'' is a 1999 novel by American author Neal Stephenson, set in two different time periods. One group of characters are World War II–era Allied codebreakers and tactical-deception operatives affiliated with the British Govern ...

'' and '' Fall''. Mercury provides a unifying theme, both in the form of the common name "quicksilver" for the element Mercury, long associated with alchemy and the title of the first volume of the cycle, and the Roman god Mercury, especially the god's various patronages: financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, and thieves, all of which are central themes in the plot. Astronomy is also a significant (although secondary) theme in the cycle; a transit of Mercury was notably observed in London on day of the coronation of King Charles II of England, whose Restoration marks, chronologically, the earliest key historical event in the cycle.

Inspiration

Stephenson was inspired to write ''The Baroque Cycle'' when, while working on ''

'', he encountered a statement by George Dyson in '' Darwin among the Machines'' that suggests Leibniz was "arguably the founder of

symbolic logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

and he worked with computing machines".Stephenson, Neal. "How the Baroque Cycle Began" in P.S. of '' Quicksilver'' Perennial ed. 2004. He also had heard considerable discussion of the Leibniz–Newton calculus controversy and Newton's work at the treasury during the last 30 years of his life, and in particular the case against Leibniz as summed up in the Commercium Epistolicum of 1712 was a huge inspiration which went on to inform the project. He found "this information striking when ewas already working on a book about money and a book about computers". Further research into the period excited Stephenson and he embarked on writing the historical piece that became ''The Baroque Cycle''.

Characters

Main characters

*Daniel Waterhouse, an English

natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the developme ...

and Dissenter * Jack Shaftoe, an illiterate adventurer of great resourcefulness and charisma *Eliza, a girl abducted into slavery, and later freed, who becomes a spy and a

financier An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital the investor usually purchases some species of property. Types of in ...

*Enoch Root, a mysterious and ageless man who also appears in ''

'', set in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the 1990s. He also appears in ''

Fall; or, Dodge in Hell ''Fall; or, Dodge in Hell'' is a 2019 speculative fiction novel by American author Neal Stephenson. The book explores mind-uploading to the Cloud, from the perspective of Richard "Dodge" Forthrast, a character introduced in Stephenson's 2011 ' ...

''. *Bob Shaftoe, a soldier in the service of John Churchill, and brother of Jack Shaftoe

Minor characters

*Louis Anglesey, Earl of Upnor, best swordsman in England *Thomas More Anglesey, Cavalier, Duke of Gunfleet *Duc d'Arcachon, French admiral who dabbles in slavery *Etienne d'Arcachon, son of the duke; most polite man in France *Henri Arlanc,

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

, friend of Jack Shaftoe. *Henry Arlanc, Son of Henri Arlanc, porter of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

*Mrs. Arlanc, wife of Henry *Gomer Bolstrood, dissident agitator, future legendary furniture maker *Clarke, English alchemist, boards young Isaac Newton *Charles Comstock, son of John Comstock *John Comstock, Earl of Epsom and Lord Chancellor *Roger Comstock, Marquis of Ravenscar, Whig Patron of Daniel Waterhouse *Will Comstock, Earl of Lostwithiel *Moseh de la Cruz, galley slave, Spanish Jew *Dappa, Nigerian linguist aboard ''Minerva'' *Vrej Esphanian, galley slave, Armenian Trader *Mr. Foot, galley slave, erstwhile bar-owner from Dunkirk *Édouard de Gex, Jesuit fanatic, court priest at Versailles *Gabriel Goto, galley slave, Jesuit priest from Japan *Lothar von Hacklheber, German banker obsessed with alchemy *Thomas Ham, of Ham Bros Goldsmiths, half-brother-in-law of Daniel Waterhouse *Otto van Hoek, galley slave, Captain of the ''Minerva'' *Jeronimo, galley slave, a high-born

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern Nation state, nation-state of Spain. Genetics, Genetically and Ethnolinguisti ...

with

Tourette's syndrome Tourette syndrome (TS), or simply Tourette's, is a common neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by multiple movement (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic. Common tics are blinki ...

*Mr. Kikin, Russian diplomat in London *Nyazi, galley slave, camel-trader of the Upper Nile *Norman Orney, London shipbuilder and Dissenter *Danny Shaftoe, son of Jack Shaftoe *Jimmy Shaftoe, son of Jack Shaftoe *Mr. Sluys, Dutch merchant and traitor *Mr. Threader,

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

money-scrivener *Drake Waterhouse, Puritan father of Daniel Waterhouse *Faith Waterhouse, wife of Daniel Waterhouse *Godfrey Waterhouse, son of Daniel Waterhouse *Mayflower Waterhouse, half-sister of Daniel Waterhouse, wife of Thomas Ham *Raleigh Waterhouse, half-brother of Daniel Waterhouse *Sterling Waterhouse, half-brother of Daniel Waterhouse *Charles White, Tory, Captain of the King's Messengers, who has the habit of biting off people's ears *Yevgeny the Raskolnik, Russian heretic, whaler and anti-tsarist rebel *Peter Hoxton (Saturn), horologist *Colonel Barnes, peg-legged commander of dragoons *Queen Kottakkal, sovereign of the Malabar pirates *Teague Partry, distant relative of the Shaftoes in Connaught, Ireland

Historical figures who appear as characters

Jean Bart Jean Bart (; ; 21 October 1650 – 27 April 1702) was a Flemish naval commander and privateer. Early life Jean Bart was born in Dunkirk in 1650 to a seafaring family, the son of Jean-Cornil Bart (c. 1619–1668) who has been described various ...

* Catherine Barton *

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (; 16 September 1678 – 12 December 1751) was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tory (British political party), Tories, and supported the ...

* Robert Boyle * Henrietta Braithwaite, mistress of George II *

Caroline of Ansbach Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline; 1 March 1683 – 20 November 1737) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and List of Hanoverian royal consorts, Electress of Hanover from 11 J ...

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

* John Churchill, later 1st Duke of Marlborough * Sir William Curtius, Baron Curtius of Sweden * D'Artagnan *

* John Flamsteed *

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

(as a young boy) * Eleanor Erdmuthe Louise, widow of John Frederick * Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatine *

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. ...

George II of Great Britain George II (George Augustus; ; 30 October / 9 November 1683 – 25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Electorate of Hanover, Hanover) and a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Em ...

, the Prince of Wales * Nell Gwyn *

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

Robert Hooke Robert Hooke (; 18 July 16353 March 1703) was an English polymath who was active as a physicist ("natural philosopher"), astronomer, geologist, meteorologist, and architect. He is credited as one of the first scientists to investigate living ...

Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens, Halen, Lord of Zeelhem, ( , ; ; also spelled Huyghens; ; 14 April 1629 – 8 July 1695) was a Dutch mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer, and inventor who is regarded as a key figure in the Scientific Revolution ...

* James Stuart, Duke of York, then James VII and II * George Jeffreys * Johann Georg IV, Elector of Saxony * Arnold Joost van Keppel * Jack Ketch *

Mary II of England Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland with her husband, King William III and II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Sh ...

Thomas Newcomen Thomas Newcomen (; February 1664 – 5 August 1729) was an English inventor, creator of the Newcomen atmospheric engine, atmospheric engine in 1712, Baptist lay preacher, preacher by calling and ironmonger by trade. He was born in Dart ...

* Henry Oldenburg *

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys ( ; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English writer and Tories (British political party), Tory politician. He served as an official in the Navy Board and Member of Parliament (England), Member of Parliament, but is most r ...

traveling incognito as Peter Romanov * Bonaventure Rossignol, a French cryptanalyst * James Scott, Duke of Monmouth *

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

, King of Poland * Sophia of Hanover * Sophia Charlotte of Hanover * Edward "Blackbeard" Teach * Elizabeth Villiers * John Wilkins *

William III of England William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 1650 – 8 March 1702), also known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

, Prince of Orange *

Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

* John Keill * Ignatius Sancho's life as a freed slave in 18th century London, letters as an abolitionist, and life under the protection of a Duchess bear a strong similarity to the character of Dappa

Critical response

Robert Wiersem of ''

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands division. The newspaper was establis ...

'' called ''The Baroque Cycle'' a "sublime, immersive, brain-throttlingly complex marvel of a novel that will keep scholars and critics occupied for the next 100 years".

References

External links

''Locus Magazine'' interview with Neal StephensonThe Source of the Modern World
interview by

Glenn Reynolds Glenn Harlan Reynolds (born August 27, 1960) is an American legal scholar who is the Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. He is known for his American politics blog, ''Instapundit''. Ins ...