The Name of the Rose

May 23, 2013 Steve aka Sckenda rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of Metaphysical Mysteries and of Erudition

Shelves: favorites-contemporary, mystery, medieval, historical-fiction, catholic, mystic, philosophy, about-books, italy, international, translation, italian, italian-writers

“Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.” (Roman Catholic Liturgy, Eucharistic Prayers)

“The mystery is that there is no mystery.” (Cormac McCarthy, "Blood Meridian," 252)

“The Name of the Rose” is a philosophical mystery set in an Italian monastery in 1327. The abbey contains the greatest library in Christendom, but its treasured books are locked up within its labyrinth of a library. Why do the monks hide the same books that they preserve?

Why are monks turning up dead? Each gruesome death imitat...more “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.” (Roman Catholic Liturgy, Eucharistic Prayers)

“The mystery is that there is no mystery.” (Cormac McCarthy, "Blood Meridian," 252)

“The Name of the Rose” is a philosophical mystery set in an Italian monastery in 1327. The abbey contains the greatest library in Christendom, but its treasured books are locked up within its labyrinth of a library. Why do the monks hide the same books that they preserve?

Why are monks turning up dead? Each gruesome death imitates some punishment predicted in the Book of Revelation. Murder? Manslaughter? Death by Misadventure? Who is the killer? Is Faith or Reason to blame? Does God laugh? Prepare yourself for the answer or no answer at all.

William of Baskerville, a Franciscan monk, is a medieval Sherlock Holmes [e.g., “Hounds of the Baskervilles”]. A disciple of Roger Bacon and William of Occam, William uses inductive reasoning. He starts with the observation of small matters and works his way from the specific to the general. Moreover, as a nominalist, he distrusts universal statements about reality. Says William:

Of us God demands that we apply our reason to many obscure things about which Scripture has left us free to decide. And when someone suggest you believe in a proposition, you must first examine it to see whether it is acceptable, because our reason was created by God, and whatever pleases our reason can but please divine reason. (132)

The Age of Reason kicks within womb of the Age of Faith. As William interviews witnesses and suspects, we meet the illuminators, the scribes, the librarians, the herbalist, the cellarer, and the abbot, to work toward a solution from small details. Sometimes the reader suspects that William was not really interested in the truth but rather just amused himself by imagining how many possibilities were possible.

A blind monk, Jorge of Burgos (a playful nod to Jorge Luis Borges, blind lover of labyrinths and libraries), opposes William of Baskerville and attempts to thwart him. Jorge uses deductive reasoning to work his way downward from general principles and Platonic truth to the specific.

Whereas William is a humanist and liberal theologian, Jorge adheres to a strict interpretation of the Bible. Censorious, Jorge rages at laughter:“Mortify your intelligence, learn to weep over the wounds of the Lord, throw away your books.” (63)

Seen in a more charitable light, the battle between Jorge and William is the ancient battle between faith and reason; between deductive and inductive reasoning; between universalism and nominalism.

In the middle of these competing worldviews stands the narrator, Adso of Melk, William’s young assistant who tries to wrap his modest intellect around these warring sides. Adso plays Watson to Holmes, and tells the story of this mystery and of his coming of age from the perspective of old age.

Was Adso able to find a compromise between diametrically opposed attitudes toward knowledge? What does a mature Adso think of William? Says Adso: “When I doubt that the world has an order, I am consoled to discover, if not an order, at least a series of connections in small areas of the world’s affairs.”(394)

Conclusion
Careful readers should note the exact method by which this crime was solved? Inductive? Deductive? Faith? Reason? Nominalism? Universalism? Some other force? The crime may be solved, but the real mystery survives to this day. I have read this rich banquet of a novel three times, and, like poor Adso, your humble reviewer is just a confused and conflicted doubter, caught between absurdity and the relentless search for truth. Perhaps God exists; perhaps God is laughing.

December 6, 2012(less)

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May 21, 2013 Argento rated it 1 of 5 stars

Eco's writing is so infectious, lively, and likeable that I thought it appropriate to write my review in his style.

1 In which I, as reader, feel used
Yes, I'm almost certain Eco wrote this thing for the sole purpose of informing us of how knowledgeable he is of the finer points of monastic orders, book trivia, and medieval philosophy.
Knowing most would not put up with this crap for 500 pages, he wisely chose to interrupt his many digressions on poverty, heretics, whether or not Jesus laughed, Ar...more

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Mar 16, 2013 ︹︺︷︶ Job︸︹︺ツ rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

يا حسافة على الوقت الذي ضاع في قراءة هذه الرواية
من عيوبها أنها
طويلة جدا
مملة
اسماء وشخصيات كثيرة
تفاصيل دقيقة وكثيرة بشكل مبالغ فيه
ومن أعظم عيوبها بالنسبة لي تشبيهها برواية عزازييل والزعم بأن عزازييل تعتبر للمبتدئين مقارنة بهذه الرواية
ما أقول الا رحم الله" كفار العرب-على وصف المؤلف" على ابدعاتهم الغابرة والحاضرة
مثلا في رواية عزازييل كان المفصل في الاختلاف على التوحيد والثالوثية أما في هذه الرواية عن فقر المسيح عليه السلام!

وأخيرا وليس آخرا
الترجمة الرديئة للرواية اللي ذل أهلنا فيها المترجم...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Karla (Mossy Love Grotto) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, cover-artists-sanjulian, medieval, historical-mystery, them-thar-furrin-stuff, 1st-person-pov, banging-aint-just-for-the-pulpit, book-to-film, 5-stars

A lot has already been said about this for me to rehash the basics or try to address the themes (and my pathetic attempts to sound SMRT would be embarrassing), so I'll simply recount the feels I had.

* All that theological debating? More fascinating than I'd ever thought possible.

* Medieval church history! OMG, you medieval guys, God's representative on Earth was a corrupt motherfucker. But I guess the Holy Hot Pincers of Chastisement kept you all nodding your heads and staying in line (more or l...more

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Mar 11, 2008 Jason Pettus rated it 5 of 5 stars

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

The CCLaP 100: In which I read a hundred so-called "classics" and then write reports on whether or not I think they deserve the label
Book #7: The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco

The story in a nutshell:
In one of the more fascinating stories of how a novelist was first drawn to his profession, scholar...more

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Dec 06, 2007 Silvana rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: classics, bookmooch, donated, used-to-own

What a mesmerizing (yet sometimes confusing) book. Five hundred pages, not including the introduction and post-script.

It is basically consisted of two main plots. First was the mysterious murders of monks in an Italian Franciscan abbey on the 14th century, in which a former Inquisitor named William of Baskerville and his novice turned detectives to solve the murders. Second was the so-called historic meeting between Franciscan leaders (favored by the Roman Emperor) and their archenemy, represent...more What a mesmerizing (yet sometimes confusing) book. Five hundred pages, not including the introduction and post-script.

It is basically consisted of two main plots. First was the mysterious murders of monks in an Italian Franciscan abbey on the 14th century, in which a former Inquisitor named William of Baskerville and his novice turned detectives to solve the murders. Second was the so-called historic meeting between Franciscan leaders (favored by the Roman Emperor) and their archenemy, representatives of the Pope John who resided then in Avignon. Organizing the meeting was actually the main duty of William.

I have to admit that my interest lies deeper in the first plot. It's just more simple. The murders were somewhat arranged in certain fashions, mimicking the prophesied events during the sounding of seven trumpets in the Apocalypse. Plus, the Abbey itself, with all its rich legacies and precious relics, holds many secrets and intrigues; with the center of attention was its amazing library that no one can enter except the librarian. The library was said to be the most complete library in Europe, contained not only teachings on the Scriptures but also those of heretics, magicians, alchemists, etc.

William of Baskerville, our monk-detective, presented a unique character with his use of logic and modern tools. His novice, Adso of Melk, well, he's your typical boyscout, but suffering from a number of delusions and inner battles (the curse of youth, perhaps). They both embarked on a fascinating adventure in the abbey, trying to solve the mystery of the library and its almost innumerable labyrinths, deciphering symbols, facing bizarre monks ranging from hostile, mysterious, frightened, excessively curious and most of all, they all have motives for killing. Most of the victims were connected to the library. Suffice to say, the murders is caused by something in the library, which should not be seen by others.

The second plot? Well, couldn't say I really understand the narratives and dialogues, since they mostly involved theological debates whether monks were allowed to be poor. The Pope said the Franciscans were heretics while the accused said the Pope was corrupt. My brain is just not strong enough for that kind of thing. I love the quarreling part though, when the monks lost their temper, because it's so damn funny.

Despite some desperate efforts from my part to skip some pages of this book due to my lack of understanding, I still say this book has its own grandeur. Perhaps because if there's an existing library as magnificent as the one in the abbey, I shall be very interested to have to a visit there. Seduction does not always come from human flesh or splendid treasures, but also in knowledge. And sometimes it's even more dangerous.

Will I read other Eco's works? Yeah sure, why not. Next would be the Foucault's Pendulum.(less)

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Jun 01, 2013 Dina Nabil rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pdf

خلقت القراءة السريعة لهذا الكتاب للاسف

فى الغلاف الخارجى من الكتاب كتب: "رواية شبه بوليسيه , شبه تاريخيه,شبه فلسفية"...و ارى ان هذا الوصف صحيح حتى النخاع , فالرواية انصاف لروايات اخرى و ارى ببساطة ان تلك الاجزاء لم تشبع شهية قارئ مثلى

و فى رأيى ان الفلسفة و البوليسية
don`t mix...against not versus

فى الاعمال البوليسية الايقاع السريع هو المفتاح لعمل ناجح , احداث سريعة تحوى تشويق كافى للقارئ بان يكملها خاصه و انها غير ذات فائدة سوى الاثارة و الخيال

و فى الاعمال الفلسفية و التاريخية البطئ محبب و يدخل ا...more خلقت القراءة السريعة لهذا الكتاب للاسف

فى الغلاف الخارجى من الكتاب كتب: "رواية شبه بوليسيه , شبه تاريخيه,شبه فلسفية"...و ارى ان هذا الوصف صحيح حتى النخاع , فالرواية انصاف لروايات اخرى و ارى ببساطة ان تلك الاجزاء لم تشبع شهية قارئ مثلى

و فى رأيى ان الفلسفة و البوليسية
don`t mix...against not versus

فى الاعمال البوليسية الايقاع السريع هو المفتاح لعمل ناجح , احداث سريعة تحوى تشويق كافى للقارئ بان يكملها خاصه و انها غير ذات فائدة سوى الاثارة و الخيال

و فى الاعمال الفلسفية و التاريخية البطئ محبب و يدخل القارئ فى عالم مختلف و عام بالفائدة فلا يتسرع ابدا لانتهاء منه بل يحزن لانتهائه كمن يفارق صديق

تكمن "كارثة" هذا العمل بانه مزج الهدفين معا فكانت النتيجة "اسم الوردة" عمل بوليسى بطئ ملئ بفلسفة رائعة لكنها تحجب سرعة الايقاع...فيضطر القارئ لحذف الشق الفلسفى و يستخدم معه القراءة السريعة و احيانا مجرد التجاوز فيقلل كثيرا من اهميتها

و ربما كان طول عدد صفحاتها ال542 بسبب هذا فكأنها توأم ملتصق
***************
فى تعريف الكتاب انها "تحفة اومبرتو ايكو,التي تقزم شفرة دافنشي الى حد روايات الجيب" ...و لكن تكمن المشكلة فى انى اصلا لست من معجبين شفرة دافنشى او ملائكة و شياطين

و الجو العام للعمل مشابه كثيرا للمسلسلات الامريكية
the tudors ....also the borgias
***************
لكن هذا الملل يتخلله بعد الفصول الممتعه قطعا كفصل المحاكمة و فصل نشيد الغضب

و القارئ العربى يلاحظ تأثير العرب العظام فى الحضارات الاخرى كما يلاحظ انه مع التبجيل للعرب كعلماء فلفظ "الكفار" يتبعهم دائما...و ما اشبه الليلة بالبارحة فموقفهم لا يختلف ابدا عن متشددين ديينا للاسف ممن يستخدمون تكنولوجيا "كفار" هذا الزمن طبقا لوصفهم...الموقف متشابه و الازدواجيه مشتركة

الفائدة الفلسفية الوحيدة فى هذا الكتاب هى ان تتيقن بان كل من يفعل فعل او قول هو مقتنع به حتى الموت و كل من سواه كافر او زنديق...تذكر دائما هذا الاسلوب عندما تتشدد فى رأى غدا فربما تكون انت هذا الموهوم , و لتعذر غيرك من المتشددين للافكار التى تراها خاطئة تماما

و اخيرا الجثث , الحرائق , الساحرات على العمود , المجازر ....كم من الجرائم ترتكب باسم الدين
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Mar 07, 2012 Aubrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-06-12, 4-star, reviewed, translated, 1000-guardian, italian

I have never been so undecided as to what to rate a book. The oscillation from three to four stars and back again was dizzying, and made worse by the fact that I felt that a 3.5 would be a cop out concerning this particular novel.

The writing was a mix of excellent logical processes and long trains of theological meanderings. I'd find the words blurring before my eyes when the author kept up his lists for too long, or when one of the characters was especially verbose on religious concerns. At le...more I have never been so undecided as to what to rate a book. The oscillation from three to four stars and back again was dizzying, and made worse by the fact that I felt that a 3.5 would be a cop out concerning this particular novel.

The writing was a mix of excellent logical processes and long trains of theological meanderings. I'd find the words blurring before my eyes when the author kept up his lists for too long, or when one of the characters was especially verbose on religious concerns. At least I have some familiarity with the Bible and its related texts, or I would have been completely lost.

It was odd, though. It almost seemed that the author planned it that way, as detective monk William of Baskerville would often give insights into how ridiculous the whole concept of religion is. This ridiculousness was very apparent in the debates over laughter, heresy, and the differences between the countless denominations. So perhaps it was intended. Made for some very boring passages, I will admit. But the brilliant flashes of common sense and amazing trains of thought were enough to tide me over. I only wish more of the book was like that.

But I must say, blatant inspiration is blatant. It's been a while since I've read the Sherlock Holmes books, so I'll be modeling my observations after my more recent watching of the BBC series (unorthodox, I know, but it illustrates my point). The overwhelming powers of observation and subsequent deduction, the use of drugs to ameliorate thinking, the meditative states that heightened these neurological processes to a sharp focal point, and especially the final relationship between William and the revealed villain. That heady mix of moral antagonism and intellectual respect was very, very familiar.

It's a shame that it didn't last, the intelligent state of mind at any rate. William's novice had flashes of insight only when in the presence of his mentor, and the manuscript he writes shows how far back he has slipped into the comfort of religious ignorance. He saw the sense of writing down what happened, at any rate. And his discomfort with his state of mind in view of his memories shows that he isn't completely resigned to the sheep state of blind faith.

But that doesn't really matter. What matters is that I have a couple more books by this author to get through, and the reading should be interesting if they are as filled with convoluted and contrasting passages as this one.(less)

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Nov 09, 2009 Whitaker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: modern-canon, recommended-unreservedly, 2009-read

Forget Christopher Hitchens. Away with that Richard Doggins guy. For a truly penetrating look at religion and atheism, Umberto Eco, he da man.

The Name of the Rose is a profoundly nihilistic book. It is ostensibly a book about a murder mystery: A man, a monk rather, Brother William, arrives with his assistant, Adso, at an abbey high in the Italian Alps. A murder has been committed, and Brother William will apply reason and logic—a Sherlock avant la lettre—to deduce the murderer. Or does he? He d...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Sean DeLauder rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-bests

Because Umberto Eco demonstrates a remarkable knowledge of 14th-century (and earlier) ecclesiastical history, one might suspect him to be a student of the subject, or rather, the dean of a college of religious history. Or, and this seems more likely, an 800-year old biographer who finally got around to putting it down in writing 30 or so years ago.

Unfortunately, in truth, he was a medieval history professor before being convinced to write historical, monk-centered murder stories set in the middl...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Emilian Kasemi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, inspiring

Forse il compito di chi ama gli uomini è di far ridere della verità, fare ridere la verità, perché l'unica verità è imparare a liberarci dalla passione insana per la verità.

...Ed essa mi baciò con i baci della sua bocca, e i suoi amori furono più deliziosi del vino e all'odore erano deliziosi i suoi profumi, ed era bello il suo collo tra le perle e le sue guance tra i pendenti, come sei bella mia amata, come sei bella, i tuoi occhi sono colombe (dicevo) e fammi vedere la tua faccia, fammi sentir...more

Forse il compito di chi ama gli uomini è di far ridere della verità, fare ridere la verità, perché l'unica verità è imparare a liberarci dalla passione insana per la verità.

...Ed essa mi baciò con i baci della sua bocca, e i suoi amori furono più deliziosi del vino e all'odore erano deliziosi i suoi profumi, ed era bello il suo collo tra le perle e le sue guance tra i pendenti, come sei bella mia amata, come sei bella, i tuoi occhi sono colombe (dicevo) e fammi vedere la tua faccia, fammi sentire la tua voce, ché la tua voce è armoniosa e la tua faccia incantevole, mi hai reso folle di amore sorella mia, mi hai reso folle con una tua occhiata, con un solo monile del tuo collo, favo che gocciola sono le tue labbra, miele e latte sotto la tua lingua, il profumo del tuo respiro è come quello dei pomi, i tuoi seni a grappoli, i tuoi seni come grappoli d'uva, il tuo palato un vino squisito che punta dritto al mio amore e fluisce sulle labbra e sui denti... Fontana da giardino, nardo e zafferano, cannella e cinnamomo, mirra e aloe, io mangiavo il mio favo e il mio miele, bevevo il mio vino e il mio latte, chi era, chi
era mai costei che si levava come l'aurora, bella come la luna, fulgida come il sole, terribile come schiere vessillifere?

Come una piccola goccia d'acqua infusa in una quantità di vino tutta si disperde per prendere colore e sapore di vino, come il ferro incandescente e infuocato diventa somigliantissimo al fuoco perdendo la sua forma primitiva, come l'aria quando è inondata dalla luce del sole è trasformata nel massimo splendore e nella medesima chiarezza, tanto da non sembrare più illuminata bensì essere luce essa stessa, così io mi sentivo morire di tenera liquefazione, sì che mi rimase solo la forza per mormorare le parole del salmo: “Ecco il mio petto è come vino nuovo, senza spiraglio, che rompe otri nuovi”,
e subito vidi una fulgidissima luce e in essa una forma color zaffiro che avvampava tutta di un fuoco rutilante e soavissimo, e quella luce splendida si diffuse per l'intero fuoco rutilante, e questo fuoco rutilante per quella forma splendente e quella luce fulgidissima e quel fuoco rutilante per l'intera forma.
Mentre, quasi svanito, cadevo sul corpo a cui mi ero unito, capii in un ultimo soffio di vitalità che la fiamma consiste di una splendida chiarezza, di un insito vigore e di un igneo ardore, ma la splendida chiarezza la possiede affinché riluca e l'igneo ardore affinché bruci. Poi capii l'abisso, e gli abissi ulteriori che esso invocava.(less)

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Jun 08, 2013 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-and-mystery, really-deep-thinking, historical-fiction

After twenty years or more, I’ve now re-read Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose . I essayed this mildly formidable, if enjoyable book, for several reasons. He’s pretty famous for the depth of his thought, which is pretty much what one would expect from a person with the impressive profession of “semioticist”. (Semiotics: the study of cultural sign processes analogy, metaphor, signification and communication, signs and symbols.) Per his Goodreads biography page,

Eco’s brilliant fiction is known fo

...more

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Apr 20, 2008 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars

If I had to spend a year on a desert island and was only allowed to take one book, this would be it.

At the time of its publication, one reviewer described `The Name of the Rose' as "a book about everything". At first glance, it may seem to be a book largely about obscure Fourteenth Century religious controversies, heresies and sects, with a murder mystery mixed in. But this is a book that rewards repeat readings (I've just finished it for the seventh time), and the heart of the novel is in its...more If I had to spend a year on a desert island and was only allowed to take one book, this would be it.

At the time of its publication, one reviewer described `The Name of the Rose' as "a book about everything". At first glance, it may seem to be a book largely about obscure Fourteenth Century religious controversies, heresies and sects, with a murder mystery mixed in. But this is a book that rewards repeat readings (I've just finished it for the seventh time), and the heart of the novel is in its exposition of semiotics - the world as a blizzard of signs and life and thought as their constant interpretation. Just as Brother William of Baskerville guides the naïve Adso through the world of the monastery and the wider world of knowledge and reason, so Eco guides the reader through a story where few things are what they seem and everything can be read several ways.

Even the `obscure Fourteenth Century sects', which many readers find bewildering, dull or both, represent far more than they seem at first glance. The long controversy over the poverty of Christ and its application in the medieval Church forms the focus for a wide-ranging analysis of how ideals can motivate and inspire different people in different ways. In this novel we find skeptics (like William), mystical non-conformists (like Umbertino de Casale), terrorists and revolutionaries (like the Dolcinite heretics) and rigid fundamentalists (like Jorge and Bernard Gui). At the time of its first publication, the parallels between the book's religious politics and modern manifestations of the same ways of thinking, including Cold War political expediency and terrorists like the Red Brigades, would have been obvious to Italian readers. These days, in the wake of 9/11 and the Iraq War, Eco's analysis has not lost any of its resonance.

Some warnings for new readers - if you think (the truly appalling) `The Da Vinci Code' was "masterful writing", you probably want to save yourself time and effort and read something else. It's not as daunting as many make out, but "Rose" is far from a light read. Eco also deliberately made the first 100 pages a difficult read, but stick with it. All those obscure politics and odd names do make some sense after a while.

Secondly, many reviewers have complained about the untranslated Latin passages. Despite what some of them have said, these are rarely more than a line or two and usually short lines at that. Medievalists will recognise most of them anyway (they are quotes from the Vulgate, Occam and Aquinas and so on, and usually famous ones), but non-specialists will usually get the essence of them from their contexts. In almost all cases they are roughly translated or paraphrased in the dialogue that precedes or follows them anyway, so they aren't actually `untranslated' at all - they just look that way.

Thirdly, people who approach this novel merely as a medieval whodunit a la the Brother Caedfel mysteries are likely to find `Rose' a strain. While the mystery story forms the basis of the plot, there is a lot more to this novel than plot. Some have said they found the mystery clichéd and derivative of other mysteries. Ummm ... yes - Eco is a postmodernist. It's *meant* to be derivative.

The real joy of this novel is its layers of meaning, which is why it's one that can be read and re-read with new discoveries every time. It's a delight to read and great exercise for the mind and spirit, as well as a counter to those who think the Middle Ages was simply a period of superstition and ignorance. Far from being an anachronism or a prefigurement of more `enlightened' times, William of Baskerville represents the medieval voices of reason, innovation and logic that are ignored by most popular representations of this badly misunderstood period.

A must read - but with your brain well and truly in high gear.
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Nov 26, 2011 s.penkevich rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: YOU!

Recommended to s.penkevich by: Ypsi John

This is one of those rare near-perfect books that crosses through many genres and could be universally acclaimed. There are dozens of great reviews on here already, but this book struck me as so profound that I felt I needed to briefly put down my own thoughts. I could not bring myself to put this down and it was always a battle to not skip work and continue reading in the parking lot after lunch break. Eco crafts a novel that could be labeled as historical fiction, mystery, theology and philoso...more This is one of those rare near-perfect books that crosses through many genres and could be universally acclaimed. There are dozens of great reviews on here already, but this book struck me as so profound that I felt I needed to briefly put down my own thoughts. I could not bring myself to put this down and it was always a battle to not skip work and continue reading in the parking lot after lunch break. Eco crafts a novel that could be labeled as historical fiction, mystery, theology and philosophy, metafiction, a plot-boiler, literature, and many others - hell, there's even a bit of love and sex thrown in and of multiple sexual orientations! He essentially takes Sherlock Holmes and Watson and recasts them as monks in a 1300's Abbey where murder and theological debates appear around every corner. The two main plots, the murder mystery and the religious debates, weave together effortlessly, each feeding off each other as the tensions rise and the plot thickens.

This is no simple plot-driven thriller however. Eco brings a tome of medieval and christian history to the table, working it as a period piece and educates the reader as well as entertains. This has drawn a lot of comparisons to works such as Dan Brown's Da Vince Code, yet Eco surpasses Brown in almost every category. This book truly deserve to be considered "literature", as there is much more to it than a history and research tossed into a plot. Eco can spit prose with the best of them and he will keep your dictionary close at hand. His character's speech is all believable and what fascinated me the most was how expertly he wrote the theological arguments between the Abbey occupants. Through these characters, many which were real people, he presents believable, and often fiery, multifaceted discussions on a range of topics such as heretics, vows of poverty, and gospel interpretations. Eco has a vast knowledge of medieval studies and it shows. He is also a professor of semiotics, which play a critical role in this novel. William's method of deduction hinges on his ability to "read the signs" in the world around him. He carefully crafts syllogisms, which brought me back to my logic and reasoning courses at MSU, to produce his theories. Eco puts his best foot forward and gives the reader a good introduction to his own fields of study with Rose. However, he also throws in the loophole that the world may not be comprised of any inherent meaning and that it is senseless to try to apply meaning to randomness. This could present quiet a dilemma for a monk who's life draws meaning from the gospels.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this novel was that it was a book about books. The whole novel spins around several texts, such as Aristotle and Revelations, but is made up of other books. He even draws the readers attention to this as William explains to Adso how the contents of one book can be discerned by reading other books. He strings together hefty allusions to other medieval texts and also to one of Eco's, and one of my own, personal favorite authors: Jorge Luis Borges. This novel is saturated with allusions to Borges works, there is even a blind librarian (much like the real Borges) named Jorge of Burgos. I would highly recommend picking up a copy of his collected fictions, simply because it is a phenomenal read, and to read selected stories such as The Library of Babel simultaneously with The Name of the Rose as Eco drew much of his inspiration for this book from Borges story. The scenes in the labyrinthine library of the abbey are gold, I wanted to get lost with William and Adso as they flipped through great works together while trying to make sense of their obfuscating surroundings. Eco's use of metafiction greatly adds to this novel, as an acute reading will show Eco is often talking more about the book itself than the actual plot with his two leads. He also leaves in plenty of untranslated Latin while having William conclude that true scholars must first master languages, and to key in on the idea that this book was a text found and translated by the character of Eco. He leaves some detective work for the reader, and I thank him for that.

You really need to read this book. There are scant few people who would not find something of interest within it's pages. It is a deep, dense ocean of a novel and not a little plot-driven pool to be waded through just for enjoyment, but with just a little effort it will provide a fountain of enjoyment. That was a weird, out of place and senseless string of water metaphors, but you get the idea. Easily a 5/5
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Jul 23, 2007 Adriana rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had wanted to read The Name of the Rose for a long time, mostly because I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction about the Middle Ages, and also because of its importance as a piece of modern Italian literature. Although I liked it for the most part, I have to admit that it disappointed me in many ways. As a mystery novel, I was expecting it to be a fast-paced page-turner, whereas in reality The Name of the Rose is very slow and ponderous. I appreciate the attention to detail and the minute and ac...more

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Dec 07, 2008 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, fiction, mystery

This book is both astonishingly difficult and extremely rewarding. I had six years of Latin in middle and high school and have taken a course on medieval philosophy and I still found this one both challenging and satisfying. Anyone willing to put the work in is going to adore this one.
WARNING, however: this is not a trashy medieval-conspiracy novel. This is not a thriller. It is an excellent book and a perfect mystery, but it is still set in the 14th century and all of the characters are still m...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Simona Bartolotta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novecento

"Il bene di un libro sta nell'essere letto. Un libro è fatto di segni che parlano di altri segni, i quali a loro volta parlano delle cose. Senza un occhio che lo legga, un libro reca segni che non producono concetti, e quindi è muto."

Ok, sono anormale: questo capolavoro universalmente riconosciuto come tale non mi è piaciuto, non mi ha emozionata, non mi ha interessata né minimamente coinvolta. In più Eco si dà tante di quelle arie da far salire i nervi ogni cinque minuti. Bah.
E mi fermo qui, in...more

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Mar 09, 2013 amal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-group

اسم الوردة هي متاهة ايكو الخالية من الورود ، تسجل اعتراضك منذ البداية على استرسال الكاتب وكلماته المتدفقة بكرم حاتمي، لدرجة انك لن تجد موضوع هامشي، كل المواضيع التي ذكرت أخذت نصيبها الوافي من الشرح والتفصيل، ومع ذلك تكمل القراءة لجرعات من الفضول والمتعة يتركها لنا ايكو بين الصفحات.

رحلة ادسو وغوليالمو إلى الدير تكشف خبايا الدير، الدير الذي يكون ليله مناقض لمايجري من طهر في نهاره، صراعات ومطامع لها واجهة الدين وهو منها براء.

تتحدث الرواية عن قصص الصراعات الدينية بين الطوائف المسيحية المختلفة، عن ا...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jonathan by: s.penkevich

Shelves: books-with-films-2, faith, historical, mystery, popularity-contest-2, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, favourites

The Name of the Rose: A convoluted and thorny plant of beauty

The Name of the Rose ranks among some of the most complex books read by myself. However where works like Paradise Lost or Titus Groan contain their complexity with the power of beautiful flowing prose this novel works at maintaining complexity through its sheer psychological and philosophical depth. Added to which the reader can observe that this sophisticated work of fiction is so tightly wound as to form a textual labyrinth like the...more

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Sep 12, 2009 K.D. Oliveros rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I spent 1 full week reading this book. Not only because it has almost 500 dense pages but also because I suffered a terrible backache while reading this. So I had to turn and change my sitting or lying position every few minutes while reading.

The story revolves around William of Baskervilles and inquisitor and Adso a novice monk. They were ask to investigate the killing that happened in a rich Italian abbey during the medieval period (1327). It is a mix of whodunnit (like the recent novel I read...more

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Mar 06, 2009 Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ htgkvkkviholmvobsvzighxofyyzmw rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-me-mine, a-day-in-the-life, i-do-not-want-spoil-the-party

Misteri dan Keagungan.
Selama membaca novel tebal Eco ini hanya ada dua kata ini yg melekat dalam benak saya. Bagaimana tidak, dengan keahlian yg setingkat di atas brilian, Eco meramu teror pembunuhan dengan berbagai bumbu mulai dari budaya, sejarah, sains, filsafat, hingga semiotika yang memabukkan, bahkan dimulai sejak dari kata pengantarnya. Begitu kentalnya bumbu racikan Eco, saya yang semula ingin menamatkan buku ini dalam sehari-dua hari terpaksa mesti memolorkan jadwal agar bisa menikmati...more Misteri dan Keagungan.
Selama membaca novel tebal Eco ini hanya ada dua kata ini yg melekat dalam benak saya. Bagaimana tidak, dengan keahlian yg setingkat di atas brilian, Eco meramu teror pembunuhan dengan berbagai bumbu mulai dari budaya, sejarah, sains, filsafat, hingga semiotika yang memabukkan, bahkan dimulai sejak dari kata pengantarnya. Begitu kentalnya bumbu racikan Eco, saya yang semula ingin menamatkan buku ini dalam sehari-dua hari terpaksa mesti memolorkan jadwal agar bisa menikmati kelezatan buku ini secara perlahan dan menyesapnya dengan baik.

Sebagai novel tentang pembunuhan, TNotR nyaris sempurna dengan ketegangan serta lautan teka-tekinya. Ketegangan ala cerita thriller tampil dengan menawan di novel ini. Yang semakin membuat TNotR memikat adalah William, sang detektif, ternyata memiliki kemampuan menakjubkan ala Holmes. Bahkan di bab pertama buku TNotR, pada hari kedatangannya bersama Adso ke biara, William telah membuat analisis mengagumkan saat dia mendeskripsikan kondisi seekor kuda putih dengan sangat tepat—lebih mirip ramalan dan khayalan daripada analisis detektif—padahal dia sendiri belum melihatnya. Hanya ada satu tokoh lain di bumi yang punya kemampuan serupa, Sherlock Holmes. Bahkan, cara analisis William mirip dengan analisis Holmes saat Holmes mendeskripsikan sebuah topi lusuh dalam cerita “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” di buku “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, dimana, dengan bekal keping informasi sederhana dari sebuah topi lusuh, Holmes dapat memperkirakan kondisi si pemilik hingga level keadaan psikologis/mental dan kehidupan rumah tangganya.

Tapi bukan ketegangan dan misteri semata barang jualan TNotR. Bisa dikatakan, ini hanya sekedar pembungkus untuk isi yang jauh lebih memikat. TNotR menawarkan sajian sejarah, budaya, filsafat, teologis, intrik penafsiran agama, sains, seni, arsitektur, bahasa, politik, dan tentu saja keahlian spesialis Eco, semiotik. Kesemuanya, dipadukan dengan kemampuan linguistik yang kaya, menjadikan TNotR sebagai novel detektif paling berbeda, paling spesial bahkan mungkin yang terbaik sepanjang masa.

Tentu saja TNotR bukan cerita detektif biasa. Pemilihan setting yang cemerlang—bahkan Eco memikirkan juga mengapa biaranya mesti ada di tempat yang tinggi serta detail waktu yang ‘selaras’ dengan sejarah—membuat TNotR semakin memukau. TNotR menceritakan tentang seorang biarawan muda Adso dari Melk yang ditemani mentornya, William dari Baskerville, seorang fans berat Bacon, datang ke biara untuk menyelidiki tuduhan bahwa biara tersebut telah melakukan bidah. Tetapi saat mereka sampai di biara misterius tersebut, biara tersebut memiliki misteri yang lebih kelam daripada sekedar tuduhan bidah. Pada hari kedatangan mereka ke biara, mereka sudah disodori misteri tewasnya biarawan yang diduga bunuh diri. Tetapi pembunuhan itu bukan akhir. Pada hari-hari berikutnya, selama tujuh hari, setiap hari, satu orang birawan tewas. Dan disinilah dunia TNotR menampilkan atraksi memukaunya. Tanpa henti hingga halaman terakhir. Adso, yang masih anak bawang dan memuja silogisme, berusaha memecahkan misteri pembunuhan itu dengan cara deduksi-induksi ala Aristoteles dan dia gagal. William, sang mentor, menawarkan solusi yang lebih tepat, abduksi ala Roger Bacon, untuk dapat memecahkan misteri pembunuhan tersebut. Dan, selama tujuh hari pemecahan kasus itu, berbagai intrik menyelimuti cerita TNotR, semakin mewarnai kekayaan novel ini.

Well, menceritakan ulang dan mengulas isi bukunya, mungkin akan mengasilkan tulisan yang sangat panjang—makanya ada buku The Key to TNotR—tapi secara umum, buku ini memang sangat luar biasa. TNotR adalah semacam ledakan intelektual seorang Eco. Begitu mencengangkannya isi buku ini sampai-sampai saya terpukau dengan yang namanya ‘semiotika’. Akibatnya, saya mulai hunting buku mengenai semiotika, mulai dari Semiotika for Beginners yang ringan, sampai bukunya Yasraf A. P yang jelimet. Dan gara-gara buku ini pula saya nekat mengambil mata kuliah dasar umum Pengantar Semiotika yang tadinya dikira bakal seasyik TNotR, ternyata.... T_T. Untung masih dapat nilai A :P

Layaknya semua buku, bagaimanapun TNotR memiliki kekurangan—menurut saya. Yang terlihat jelas adalah cerita detektifnya sekedar ‘bungkusan’ saja. Ini mengakibatkan aroma misteri TNotR menjadi agak hambar. Bahkan, setelah hari ketiga dalam cerita, nyaris tidak ada petunjuk tentang siapa pelaku pembunuhan, ceritanya hanya diisi dengan cerita lain yang ‘tidak mengarah pada petunjuk’. Bisa dikatakan miskin petunjuk. Meski demikian—berkat pengalaman membaca semua serial Holmes dan 60-an buku Agatha—saya bisa menebak siapa pelaku pembunuhnya beserta motifnya bahkan sejak hari keempat! ^_^

Saya sudah curiga, pembunuhan yang apokaliptik itu hanya sekedar tipuan saja. Soalnya terlalu aneh, untuk seorang William, jika ia belum menyadari kalau pembunuhan ini tidak berkaitan dengan bencana biblika (atau Eco sudah lupa kalau William rekaannya adalah jenius?) Untung TNotR bukan novel detektif biasa. Kalau iya, pasti saya tidak akan menamatkannya, toh sudah ketebak motif dan pelaku pembunuhannya. Well, jadi itu sedikit kekurangan TNotR menurut saya. Eco kurang mengeksplorasi misterinya. Bahkan terkesan plot misterinya kedodoran sepanjang cerita. Bagaimanapun, di luar itu semua, TNotR adalah sempurna. Kekayaan linguistiknya nyaris mendekati taraf buku puisi-prosa. Eco pasti lebih dari sekedar jenius karena bisa menghasilkan mahakarya ini. Tidak ada kata atau kalimat yang dibuang percuma. Semuanya memiliki makna dan metafor yang berkesan. Seperti yang dikatakan oleh salah satu tokoh dalam buku ini, Jorge dari Burgos,

Verba vana aut risui apta non loqui

Tidak berbicara dengan kata-kata yang mubazir dan pantas untuk ditertawakan

Secara umum, buku ini strongly recommended buat dibaca siapa saja

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Jul 05, 2007 Erika Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

I became addicted to this book like crackmonasticicane. What I mean is, large chunks of medieval Papist theology notwithstanding, this book was responsible for a renewed passion for long novels.

I picked up this book for a medium lame reason - it is THE ECO, MASTER OF SEMIOTICS. Plus I wanted to impress my old professors. Just kidding. Sort of.

One frustrating aspect about this book is the translation from the Italian, although I believe I read the definitive English edition. Clauses like "he mo...more

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Nov 16, 2011 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: For those who appreciate complex historical fiction

Recommended to Mike by: Goodreads group "Literary Explorations"

Shelves: 14th-century, books, books-about-books, middle-ages, theology, the-papacy, pope-john-xxii, heresy, historical-fiction, historical-mystery, logic, literary-reference, benedictine-order, franciscan-order, roger-bacon, william-of-occam, libraries, labyrinths, semiotics, post-modern-literature, debut-novels, detective

"The Name of the Rose" is not a book to be picked up lightly with the expectation that you, the reader, are about to embark on a traditional work of historical fiction. Umberto Eco expects much from the reader of this book. Almost immediately the unsuspecting reader will find himself dropped into the midst of the High Middle Ages, a society completely foreign for the majority of modern readers.

In historical context, the story occurs during the time the Papacy had moved from its traditional locat...more "The Name of the Rose" is not a book to be picked up lightly with the expectation that you, the reader, are about to embark on a traditional work of historical fiction. Umberto Eco expects much from the reader of this book. Almost immediately the unsuspecting reader will find himself dropped into the midst of the High Middle Ages, a society completely foreign for the majority of modern readers.

In historical context, the story occurs during the time the Papacy had moved from its traditional location in Italy to Avignon. John XXII is a Pope brought to the head of the Holy Roman Church by the King of France. John is not the first Pope to leave the Church's Italian home.

However, it is 1327, and great dissatisfaction pervades Europe that a French King should have political influence over the Church. Traditionally, following the division of the Roman Empire between West and East, the secular protection of the Church had fallen to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, a title held by members of the royal families of Germany. In that year, Louis IV would declare himself the King of Italy and in 1328 he would crown himself the next Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

Louis' entrance into Italy was inevitable, as King Phillip of France had encouraged an alliance with the "French" Pope through his connection with the King of Naples. Louis' sympathies, or perhaps his political acumen, led him to support the Franciscan Order, committed to the life of poverty. This was in direct contradiction to the Papal Bulls issued by John XXII, who saw the Franciscan Orders as a disruptive force among the common people. Off shoots of the Fransiscan's, particularly the Psuedo-Apostles, led by Fra Dolcino, had led to absolute chaos in Italy. Dolcino's common followers attacked the wealthy to bring about a universal state of poverty. There should be no rich. There should be no poor. The ultimate goal of Dolcino was to abolish the need of the Church and place it under the authority of the people. Under this theory, there was no need for Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, or ecclesiastical offices of any type.

William of Baskerville's purpose in going to the Abbey of Melko is as an emissary of the Imperial Theologians to negotiate a meeting between legations appointed by the Pope and Louis to resolve the conflict between the Papacy, the Minorite or Franciscan orders, and Louis. What is at stake is a reinterpretation between Church and State. That the underlying issue concerns who will wield true power in Europe is obvious.

However, William's true mission is delayed. For, upon his arrival, he discovers that a young Illuminator in the Abbey's Scriptorium has met an untimely death. Was it murder or suicide? The death of a second monk, clearly indicates that someone in the closed society of the Abbey of Melk is a murderer.

Accompanied by his scribe, Adso, William sets out to investigate the deaths of the two monks. The mystery only deepens as more deaths occur. The circumstances seem to follow the sounding of the trumpets as revealed in the Revelation of John.

Eco continues to complicate the facts of William's case by revealing that the Abbey contains one of the finest libraries known in the contemporary world. Interestingly, no one but the Librarian, his assistant, or someone with the permission of the Abbot himself can gain entry to the library, which is protected by a labyrinth seemingly incapable of being navigated.

William of Baskerville is the equivalent of a Medieval Sherlock Holmes. Adso, whose French name happens to be Adson, conveniently rhyming with Watson. William is a man committed to logic. He is a student of Roger Bacon. He is a contemporary of William of Occam. It should come as no surprise that he is capable of the art of deduction through that logic, nor that he should be in possession of a pair of optical lenses, serving him as eyeglasses enabling him to read the tiny writing of a murdered monk, barely perceptible to the naked eye. The monk's almost invisible writing lead William and Adso to discover the secrets of the labyrinth and to search for a book that seems to hold the motive for the accumulating bodies, day by day.

The Abbot pointedly tells William that the matter of these deaths must be resolved prior to the arrival of the two legations. The Papal legation is headed by Bernard of Gui, an infamous inquisitor who has burned many a heretic in his long history as a defender of the faith. Surely Bernard will take over the question of the deaths at the Abbey and use them to strengthen the Pope's position that the Franciscan's philosophy of the poverty of Christ be eliminated by the Pope.

William and Adso's exploration of the labyrinth to discover a missing book, the seeming motive for the murders, intensify. And they succeed in discovering their way through the labyrinth. However, they are unsuccessful in unraveling an endless thread of textual clues leading from one manuscript to the next prior to the arrival of the two opposed legations.

As feared, the discovery of yet another body, the herbalist Severinus, leads Bernard Gui to take over the inquisition to root out the evil present in the abbey. Bernard is ruthless. Torture is an accepted practice to disclose the works of the devil. As expected, Bernard announces he intends to inform the Pope that the Franciscan orders of Poverty should be prohibited.

Nevertheless, William and Adso will solve the mystery of the labyrinth, the secret manuscript it contains, and the identity of the murderer. In keeping with my practice not to reveal any spoilers of plot, I will not address the identity of the murderer, nor the motive for the crimes.

But, I will say this. "The Name of the Rose" is a labyrinth complete within itself. While a labyrinth may contain a solution, and one may escape its twists and turns, it is not always possible to end up with an answer that leaves no ambiguity. There is more than one labyrinth present in Eco's wonderful work. One question relates to the interpretation of knowledge itself. Is knowledge finite? Are there universal truths? Or is it a matter of what appears to be the truth only subject to interpretation by individuals?

To the librarians of the Abbey Melko, knowledge was something to be protected from disclosure. As I mentioned to one friend, the library took on the connotation of Eden's Tree of Life, from which man and woman were forbidden to eat. It was knowledge gained from eating the forbidden fruit that led to the loss of innocence. Considering that the library contained many works considered by the librarians to be the work of infidels, it would be their purpose to hide those works from the innocent. Yet, the mere possession of that knowledge also led to its misinterpretation and the accusation of heresy.

Clearly, during the heated debate between the Papal and Imperial Legations, knowledge did not exist independent of the thinker's perception. One postulation of a particular theological theorem was subject to debate on the most minute detail out of political motivation.

But, Adso may well have had the most significant statement to make regarding books and their contents. It will be one of my favorite passages:

"Until then I had thought each book spoke of the things, human or divine, that lie outside books. Now I realized that not infrequently books speak of books: it is as if they spoke among themselves. In the light of this reflection, the library seemed all the more disturbing to me. It was then the place of long, centuries-old murmuring, an imperceptible dialogue between one parchment and another, a living thing, a receptacle of powers not to ruled by a human mind, a treasure of secrets emanated by many minds, surviving the death of those who had produced them or had been their conveyors.”

Even William was subject to hearing words so familiar, he knew he had read them before, but could not remember the name of the book. “It seemed to me, as I read this page, that I had read some of these words before, and some phrases that are almost the same, which I have seen elsewhere, return to my mind?”

Books find themselves the creator of other books,when they become so deeply planted in our subconscious. A famous contemporary example is found in Nabokov's "Lolita." Nabokov's character first appeared in a short story "Lolita," written in 1916 by Heinz von Eschwege. The story lines are quite similar. Nabokov has been said to have created artistic improprieties, or been subject to a phenomenon known as "cryptomnesia," a hidden memory of a story he had once read. Michael Marr, author of "The Two Lolitas," wrote, "Literature has always been a huge crucible in which familiar themes are continually recast..."

Perhaps James Baldwin said it best. "It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive."

As "The Name of the Rose" contains a multitude of Latin phrases, I think it fitting to add one more, not included in the book itself. That is "sub rosa." The concept first appears in Egyptian culture. The rose was the symbol of the Egyptian God Horus, most often represented by a child holding his finger to his mouth as if he were saying, "Shhhh." It became symbolic of silence. It reappears in Greek and Roman mythology. Venus/Aphrodite gave a rose to Cupid which served as a symbol of silence regarding her many indiscretions in love.

By the Middle Ages, the rose had a definite meaning. In those times, when a party of individuals met in a council hall, a rose was hung over the table. Whatever was discussed "under the rose" was secret and all parties meeting under the rose agreed that the subject of their discussions was confidential. Much lies under the surface of this novel. It was deemed by the characters to be secret. And so, I believe Eco would have us treat this novel in modo sub rosa, leaving each reader to discover its secrets in their own manner. The further one delves, the more secrets remain to be discovered.

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Apr 11, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Michael by: Crime Writers' Association's Top 100 Crime Novels

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, 1001-books-to-read-before-you-die, cwas-top-100-crime-novels, mwas-top-100-crime-novels, conspiracy, books-about-books, european-literature, modern-classic, detective, meta, religion, book-club-literary-exploration, 1980s

A Franciscan friar and a Benedictine novice travel to a Benedictine monastery in Italy to attend a theological disputation. Not it’s not a joke… its murder. The Name of the Rose is set in 1327 and follows the story of William of Baskerville and his companion and narrator Adso as they try to uncover who is behind all the mysterious deaths.

Baskerville is an intellectual and almost Sherlock in the way he analyses and comes to his conclusions; with his trusty sidekick, Watson… I mean Adso who is na...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Peter added it

“I felt like poisoning a monk,” wrote Umberto Eco, describing the genesis of The Name of the Rose. But how much drama could really exist in a 14th century monastery? Enough, it turns out, for the political and theological stability of Europe to hinge upon the events of the Benedictine abbey in which The Name of the Rose takes place.

But how enjoyable can it really be to read long-winded speeches by grumpy old monks parsing theological arguments about everything from heresy to the habits of Jesus?...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Kathrina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: great-literary-fiction, horror-thriller, italian, nyrb-intro-authors

This book is so self-aware, I feel like it's reading over my shoulder right now. I recall, about half-way through, lamenting the fact that my edition contained no footnotes for translating the frequent Latin, Italian, and Greek texts thrown into this narrative. And now, after reaching Eco's last line (in Latin!) I hear him laughing at me. Don't you get it, reader?! Roger Bacon chides the scholar who doesn't make languages his first priority, and as I can only piece together a few Latin words and...more This book is so self-aware, I feel like it's reading over my shoulder right now. I recall, about half-way through, lamenting the fact that my edition contained no footnotes for translating the frequent Latin, Italian, and Greek texts thrown into this narrative. And now, after reaching Eco's last line (in Latin!) I hear him laughing at me. Don't you get it, reader?! Roger Bacon chides the scholar who doesn't make languages his first priority, and as I can only piece together a few Latin words and stretch meaning from the context, I come to my own conclusions based on what I have read and learned in the past, as William solves his case the wrong way, but with the right answers. I don't read Latin as Adso doesn't read Greek, as William doesn't read Arabic, as mortal man can never read God's language, and so we make our own assumptions based on what we do know. The world's knowledge is constantly fragmented, and we keep what we can use, we forget or reinvent. One day the library will burn, the database will fail, and the only books that will matter are the ones we've read. And who can read what books? Here I begin my

Ode to the Joys of Reading Two Books Simultaneously

I picked up this book Reading With Oprah: The Book Club That Changed America, not because I am necessarily interested in the particular books that comprise Oprah's list, but because the phenomenon, as a bookseller, intrigues me. My own attitude as book snob was outed when Cormac McCarthy joined her ranks, and I felt the mass public didn't deserve his offering. You have to earn an appreciation for McCarthy. What the hell do I mean by that? Here, watch me struggle with my conscience: If you tell me your favorite author is Picoult, my recommendation will never be McCarthy, even though I feel he'll always be a more satisfying read. But you're not ready. You don't want to reorganize the furniture in your head, you just want a touch of color on your sofa. And that's ok. Moving furniture is a lot of hard work, and I like an easy read between moves. But my favorite reason to read is to change; that's not everyone's reason. What does this have to do with Name of the Rose, you ask?! Because there was this monk, 600 years ago, running Oprah's book club, and he didn't want ~~McCarthy~~, I mean, Aristotle, distributed to the masses, because they weren't going to read it right, even if it is in Greek. The book had the ability to cause change. This monk, this librarian, didn't want to cause change, to innovate, he wanted to preserve, to archive. Oprah says she wants change, but by promoting her book list, she's preserving at the same time, labeling titles to the Oprah cult, garnering huge sales for her authors. And now she's quit. What may have been future Oprah picks are hidden in the finis Africae, left only for the chosen to find. My point? I dunno. But Eco tells us that all books are references to other books, and now Earth Abidesspeaks to me about the end of reading, preserving, and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope speaks to me about the salvation of reading, innovation, and every damn thing I read reminds me why I read and why the book I haven't read yet is going to make the book I just read even better. I'm filling in the context with my own collection of fragments, and the story is told and told again, and when I'm ready I'm going to move the sofa.(less)

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Jan 05, 2011 Venus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature, fantasy

Meanwhile, my steps were taking me to the oxen’s stable, where they were coming out in great
number, led by their drovers. They immediately appeared to me as they were and are, symbols of
friendship and goodness, because every ox at his work turns to seek his companion at the plow; if by
chance the partner is absent at that moment, the ox calls him with affectionate lowing. Oxen learn
obediently to go back by, themselves to the barn when it rains, and when they take refuge at the
manger, they constan...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2010 Chrissie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Chrissie by: Lynne

Shelves: hf, italy, text-checked, religion, mystery

No, I changed my mind. Only two stars, not three - a book should be more enjoyable to read. It shouldn't be such a struggle!

Thughts immediately after finishing the book: Thank God I didn't give up in the middle!!!! The ending was monumental - both dramatic and profound! All the loose ends were neatly tied. The philosophical message was so well woven into the different threads of the plot. Laughter, knowledge, human motivation and religion are only a few of the topics which this book focuses upon...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2009 Charity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001books, big-uns, book-lusting, italy

"The early history of comedy is obscure," Aristotle wrote in his Poetics, "because it was not taken seriously." Whether or not the Greek sage meant to make a joke, this first novel written by Italy's premier intellectual expands on his theme.

The Name of the Rose is a deep, brilliant, and remarkably engaging detective story set in fourteenth-century Italy. Brother William of Baskerville is a guest at an abbey where monks are being murdered in the most grotesque fashion. Moreover, behind the murde...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 13, 2007 Annis Marney rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remember reading tis book like it was yesterday. I had the luxury of lying on a raft in a pool for nearly a week just before I started my second year of teaching high school English and wanted to read something that wasn't for school. Easily one of the best books I've ever read. I tried to read some of Umberto Eco's more literary criticism-oriented stuff (Foucault's Pendulum) in college and almost suffocated. I'm glad I didn't hold it against him and went ahead and picked this up anyway. It's...more

8 likes · like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
the question of humor	6	65	Jun 05, 2013 07:20am
Reading the Chunk...: The Name of the Rose	35	57	Apr 21, 2013 08:02pm
صالون الجمعة: اسم الوردة \| 3-2013	252	357	Mar 16, 2013 10:16pm
Literary Exploration: November 2011 - The Name of the Rose	108	153	Jan 08, 2012 11:39am
Wer liest mit? (L...: Eco, Umberto - Der Name der Rose	19	26	Nov 30, 2011 01:25am

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