IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST: Holding Your Own in Mass Culture

Gulbekian, a British follower of Rudolf Steiner, sees our culture's defining sickness as "matter-realism"—the notion that matter is all that matters. He offers this book as an antidote, focusing particularly on reviving the ancient insights of Manichaeanism, which he says teaches that evil can only be overcome by attaining "a true understanding of the nature of evil." Early on Gulbekian offers some intriguing guidelines for "developing the self" and "seeing the reality" that will allow for "spiritual and scientific research" into the true dynamics of our culture. The bulk of the book, though, is a series of short chapters where he offers his own interpretations of arenas of culture as diverse as gangsta rap, South Park , the European Union and "the tragedy of Charles and Diana." At several points Gulbekian humbly, and correctly, emphasizes that he has no special insight into these matters: these chapters are quite banal. The exception is Gulbekian's extraordinary theory of an "Anglo-American" materialist conspiracy that may have killed Princess Diana and may be preparing to put forward a global Antichrist—a theory for which he offers not a shred of proof. Only the most credulous of readers will find this book satisfying. (Mar.)