Rating: Summary: canonica Review: This book is a thesis on semiotics. It is a detective story set in the middle ages. It is a roadmap to a manuscript the author wishes you to find. Read the dedication... it is your first clue.
Do not underestimate the meanings of Eco's symbols. This book has a very close binding to the "real" world. It is a map.
Rating: Summary: A good book about how philosophy guides men. Review: Author: Lee Sandstead date: 5-14-97
_The Name of the Rose_, by Umberto Eco, is truly as unusual for a modern novel as an objective monk is to a medieval monastery. Published in 1980, its well-integrated theme is ethical-epistemological, and it dramatizes not only the power of reason to solve secular problems, but also how philosophy shapes man's character and actions.
Essentially, the good are those who are logical and hold that knowledge should be shared by all; the evil are those who are tremendously mystical and hold that knowledge should be known only to the select few. The good are those that want to live on this earth; the evil are those who have sacrificed earthly values for the nonsensical.
The year is 1327. The new intellectuals no longer seek knowledge from past
saints or scriptures--they look to nature. They no longer see knowledge as a tool to know The
Almighty One--they see it as a tool to better man's life on earth. They no longer desire the heavenly rule of Bishops and Popes--they want the secular rule of Princes and Kings. For the old order, the Antichrist is upon us--for the new, life is reborn. It is a time when a murderer of faith is more feared than a murderer of flesh. The old order is terrified, and they will use whatever means necessary to stave off the coming Cataclysm.
In an era of mysticism, a monk--using logic as his searchlight--strives to solve a series of mysterious deaths; which, according to a fanatical apocalyptist, trumpet God's destruction of earth. Arriving at an ancient abbey in Italy that dedicates itself to guarding and transmitting the knowledge from "the greatest library in all of Christendom," William of Baskerville sets out to mediate a debate on poverty between the Holy Roman Church and the Franciscans.
Before entering the Abbey, William observes several monks looking frantically for something. Without seeing it or ever having been to the abbey, William quickly realizes that the object of their search can only be the horse Burnellus, and he tells the searchers where the horse can be found.
"The cellarer hesitated. He looked at William, then at the path and finally asked, 'Brunellus? How did you know?'
"'Come, come,' William said, 'it is obvious you are hunting for Brunellus, the abbot's favorite horse, fifteen hands, the fastest in your stables, with a dark coat, a full tail, small round hoofs, but a very steady gait; small head, sharp ears, big eyes. He went to the right, as I said, but you should hurry, in any case.'"
Adso, William's young scribe and narrator of the story, asks astonishingly: "How did you manage to know?" William explains to his young scribe his method of *inducing* not only where the horse was, but his, height, color and name! This is the reader's introduction to William of Baskerville.
Upon arrival, William learns of a mysterious death from the Abbot. William's reputation as a keen detective precedes him, and the Abbot immediately grants William the power to question all monks and to venture where he pleases--except the library. (For a man of learning such as William, this denial into earth's greatest treasure is insufferable.)
William is unique. He was trained at Oxford, and the holds the empirical insights of Roger Bacon, the epistemology of Aristotle and the theology of Thomas Aquinas; he believes that man will discover flying machines; that man can solve nature's problems using logic; and that life is not to be cursed, but to be enjoyed and lived. He believes in the rule of the secular arm, elections by and for the people, the power of science to better man's life--and that knowledge should be made available to all, instead of the current practice to hide it. With hindsight, William of Baskerville is a prelude to the Renaissance.
Compared to modern stories of emotionally-driven "heros" that result in meaningless tragedies, the story of William of Baskerville is a benediction. William must use his *reason* to solve several mysterious deaths and find the grand motivation behind them. By doing so, he must battle the mystical context of the times, battle his own past and battle those who wish to stop him--all while avoiding being tortured and burned as a heretic.
The characters in _Rose_ are embodiments of abstractions; their philosophies are explicit--and the story dramatizes them. One's philosophy determines how they will evaluate and act toward an object. For instance, Hank Rearden from _Atlas Shrugged_ evaluates money as tool for exchange, a tool for progress, a tool for life and happiness--the root of all good. The Pope evaluates money as a tool for destruction, a tool for sin, a tool for suffering and death--the root of all evil. Both have different philosophies, and both seek to enact different ends. Rearden seeks the secrets of new metals in order to make money for the enjoyment of life. The Pope seeks methods to hoard money in order to keep his "sheep" pure.
In _Rose_, I leave the object and each character's evaluation of it for the reader to discover, but it must be said that the fundamental virtue of this book is its superb concretization of the fact that philosophy guides man's destiny. Each character identifies the object, but because of their different philosophies, they *evaluate* and *act* differently toward it.
I said in the introduction that the theme is "well integrated" into the story, but it is not *fully* integrated. There are many subplots not needed in the story, and they do not help dramatize the book's theme. True, they add to the understanding of the medieval world, but a novel is art and not journalism. For instance, the book pays homage to a great debate about the poverty of Christ with earthshaking ramifications. If Christ did not own his own clothes, then private property--including wealth--must be abolished. If he did own them, then the Pope and clergy are free to loot the populace and amass great fortunes. Although it helps the reader understand the tremendous folly of the times, it is not needed in the story, and it only serves to distract.
The secret of the murders, the philosophy behind them, and the object that people either die or kill for will astonish the reader. At once you will yell, "this is the power of reason!" But once again, you will murmur, "this is the ultimate consequence of mysticism and its intrinsic theory of value."
Rating: Summary: A tale of human values Review: I read this book whilst travelling through Europe last year and actually missed one of my stops on the train because I could not put the book down. Has an incredible plot which almost made me cry during the climax. Makes one think about the values on life we have today and where we will be tomorrow.
Rating: Summary: The Fall of Tyranny, The Rise of Another One Review: This is one of the best novel I have ever read. There are many praises for Eco, and I do not want to repeat them.But one issue I have got from this book: If Christianity acted for a long time as the Tyranny of Knowledge, can we label William of Baskerville a prophet of the new religion, i.e. the Modern Sceince? The fall of the library of the abbey may symbolizes the decadence of the old tyranny of Truth, it is also a premonition of the rise of the new era, the era of Science in the centuries to come, which established itself as the sole criterion of truth. Whereas in the Middle Age, we have the heresy to hold out against the church, what do we have as the balance of power with the so-called Scientific Method in our time? I can only think of Feyerabend
Rating: Summary: You can't loose it! Review: The best novel by Umberto Eco.
The real best 1980s' Italian novel.
Rating: Summary: A new paradigm in historical fiction. Review: The Name of The Rose is a weighty and harmonious book. Umberto Eco has created a fluid narrative where there is a perfect balance between disparate elements. The story is seamlessly intertwined with historic exposition. The characters work both as devices of satire and as unforgetable people. They inhabit a world that is both magical and believable. The story has both the detail of a small mystery and the sweep of an epic drama. The hero is brilliant, but imperfect. The narrator is both objective and passionate. The book is about the search for the truth, but it is also a meditation on humanity's eternal state of mystery
Rating: Summary: A rich tapestry of a novel Review: Certainly one of the most captivating books I've read since The Magus by John Fowles. The reader becomes drawn into a figurative medieval labyrinthe where nothing is as it seems. Eco has mastered the art of creating remarkable worlds that linger in the imagination, long after the book has been closed
Rating: Summary: The eternal search for truth Review: This thrilling medieval tale is only apparently based on seven misterious deaths in an italian abbey. Though the story is intriguing and puzzling itself, Eco
uses it admirably to direct the attention of the reader to a certainly more important topic, the eternal search
for truth. Keeping hidden the essential tools for human knowledge is a horrible crime as it is a murder. This has
been a hallmark of all dictatorships, that have made use of
it to subject people to ignorance.
A superb, precious book abundant in philosophical and historical fascination.
Rating: Summary: A NOVEL TO BE SAVORED, SLOWLY. Review: Do not be hasty. Intricately detailed, imbued with historical beauty, and ancient symbolism, this is a novel to be savored, slowly. Brother William, a learned syllogist, is called upon to solve a murder at a 14th century, mist-enshrouded abbey. This murder is only the
first of several bizarre deaths. All clues seem to be connected to the labrynthine and ancient library, where written secrets
have been secured for years. This long tale brings to light the truth that protecting what is good can lead to a kind of obsession that
in itself can become evil. Eco can't help showing off his vast wisdom, but this never distracts from the fine story, but rather indicates
Eco's deep affection for the art of learning and the book itself.
Rating: Summary: I Knew High School Latin Would Come in Handy Someday. Review: Humor is the central theme of this medieval mystery. William of Baskerville is the Holmesian sleuth who stumbles into a web of secrets that explode into murder. Every time I read this book I find new jokes. But behind and around the humor is a story rich in historical detail. The central mystery of the story is complemented by philosophical, religious, and historical puzzles. One of the more challenging puzzles is the use of language. While you don't need to be a polyglot to enjoy The Name of the Rose, it certainly helps. There are a number of untranslated lines in Latin, German, French, Italian -- and -- there's one
character who speaks a twisted amalgam of all languages. Some readers have found this distracting. I took
it on as a challenge and enjoyed the linquistic tangles.
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