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A review by marathonreader
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Myth: I need to be into history (Medieval period) to get into this book
Myth: I need to know foundational philosophy to get into this book
Myth: I need to know the canon to get into this book
Name of the Rose is for the detective reader who enjoys solving puzzles in stories. It is for the wannabe sleuth reader who enjoys the chase of a mystery, but appreciates when the exposition pulls off the mask at the end. It is for lovers of the literary Canon (I just about shrieked when we OPEN with the phrase "into a glass darkly" AS IF WE NEEDED A CUE TO GET READY FOR THE GOTHIC). It is for people who don't read a lot of the classics, because William of Baskerville's philosophies are clear parallels to Sherlock, plus he also says "it's elementary," so... Name of the Rose is for people who enjoy the Medieval period, of which I'll say little because this is not me, but: monks, Abbey, heresy, witchhunts, religion vs. incoming Renaissance, Francis Bacon, Galen or Hippocrates or whoever did the humors (see? I'm not a Medievalist). It is also for people who LOVE. THE. GOTHIC. Oh my goodness where to even start. The labyrinth, fog, the allure of the mysterious woman, death and darkness, mystery and danger and murder. Name of the Rose is also for people curious about the danger or power of knowledge, and all of the desires and allures (carnal and intellectual and otherwise).
Eco writes with razor-sharp focus, and this comes through in his imagery and his essay-esque arguments. I have heard people feel he rambles and the narrative gets lost in itself, but remember he was also friends with Barthes, and he said in an interview that narratives can be in all forms of writing, including academic papers.
I could not put this down. My favourite parts were anything to do with the Borgesian library (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read Borges's short story "Library of Babel" before Name of the Rose. Like, one of the monks is literally named Jorge). I didn't really care about the heresies for which William and Adso were sent to investigate until later on. One day, I'll reread this for religious themes. But I loved this book for its discussion on books and allure and knowledge and sight and lust and signs... and the Aefidicium.
finis Africae.
Myth: I need to know foundational philosophy to get into this book
Myth: I need to know the canon to get into this book
Name of the Rose is for the detective reader who enjoys solving puzzles in stories. It is for the wannabe sleuth reader who enjoys the chase of a mystery, but appreciates when the exposition pulls off the mask at the end. It is for lovers of the literary Canon (I just about shrieked when we OPEN with the phrase "into a glass darkly" AS IF WE NEEDED A CUE TO GET READY FOR THE GOTHIC). It is for people who don't read a lot of the classics, because William of Baskerville's philosophies are clear parallels to Sherlock, plus he also says "it's elementary," so... Name of the Rose is for people who enjoy the Medieval period, of which I'll say little because this is not me, but: monks, Abbey, heresy, witchhunts, religion vs. incoming Renaissance, Francis Bacon, Galen or Hippocrates or whoever did the humors (see? I'm not a Medievalist). It is also for people who LOVE. THE. GOTHIC. Oh my goodness where to even start. The labyrinth, fog, the allure of the mysterious woman, death and darkness, mystery and danger and murder. Name of the Rose is also for people curious about the danger or power of knowledge, and all of the desires and allures (carnal and intellectual and otherwise).
Eco writes with razor-sharp focus, and this comes through in his imagery and his essay-esque arguments. I have heard people feel he rambles and the narrative gets lost in itself, but remember he was also friends with Barthes, and he said in an interview that narratives can be in all forms of writing, including academic papers.
I could not put this down. My favourite parts were anything to do with the Borgesian library (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read Borges's short story "Library of Babel" before Name of the Rose. Like, one of the monks is literally named Jorge). I didn't really care about the heresies for which William and Adso were sent to investigate until later on. One day, I'll reread this for religious themes. But I loved this book for its discussion on books and allure and knowledge and sight and lust and signs... and the Aefidicium.
finis Africae.