The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose (1980) is the work that led the Italian Umberto Eco to taste the honeys of literary success. And it is not for less, today, this work has sold more than 50 million copies. It is a historical novel with a deep tinge of mystery whose plot revolves around the investigation of a series of enigmatic crimes that occurred during the fourteenth century in an Italian monastery.
Shortly after being released to the public, the text received two important awards: the award Strega (1981) and Medici Alien (1982) After five years - and moved by the impact caused by the work - Eco published: Apostille to The name of the rose (1985). With this work, the author sought to answer some of the questions raised in his novel, but without revealing the enigmas that it contains.
Synopsis of The Name of the Rose
In the winter of 1327, the Franciscan Guillermo de Baskerville travels with his disciple Melk's adso for holding a council. The destination: a Benedictine monastery in northern Italy. Upon arrival, they arrange the meeting with the monks and delegates of Pope John XXII. The objective: discuss corruption cases (heresies) that stain the apostolic vow of poverty and that - supposedly - they are driven by a faction of the Franciscans.
The meeting turns out to be a success, but the atmosphere is clouded by the sudden and mysterious death of the illustrator Adelmo da Otranto. The man was found dead on the floor of the abbey library - an exquisite maze of bookshelves filled with books - after falling from the top of the Aedificium Octagon. After the fact arises, Abbone —Abad of the temple— asks Guillermo to investigate about it, since suspect that it is a murder.
The inquiries last seven days. In that period, more monks appear dead, all in the same circumstances: with their fingers and tongues stained in black ink. Apparently, the deaths are related to a book by Aristotle whose leaves have been deliberately poisoned. During his investigations, Guillermo will not only come across multiple enigmas, but will also come face to face with incarnate evil, very perfectly simulated under the veil of old age and wisdom in the image of the blind cleric Jorge de Burgos.
Analysis of The Name of the Rose
Modular
The Name of the Rose is a historical mystery novel that takes place in the year 1327. The plot takes place in a Benedictine monastery located in northern Italy. The story unfolds over 7 chapters, and each of these is a day within the investigations of Guillermo and the novice Adso. The latter, by the way, is the one who narrates the development of the fiction in the first person.
Main characters
William of Baskerville
Of English origin, He is a Franciscan friar who once served as priest of the court of the Inquisition. He is a skillful, observant and intelligent man, with multiple detective skills. He will be in charge of solving the mysterious and sudden deaths of the monks in the abbey.
Its name comes from Guillermo de Ockham, a historical figure whom Eco thought of placing as the protagonist from the beginning. Nevertheless, Many critics claim that part of Baskerville's investigative personality stems from the iconic Sherlock Holmes.
Melk's Adso
Of noble origin - son of the Baron de Melk -, is the narrator of the story. By command of his family, William de Baskerville is placed at the command, as a scribe and disciple. Consequently, he also collaborates during the investigation. During the development of the plot, he tells part of his experiences as a Benedictine novice and what he lived through on his travels with Guillermo de Baskerville.
George of Burgos
He is an old monk of Spanish origin whose presence is crucial in the development of the plot.. From his physiognomy, Eco highlights the paleness of his skin and his blindness. Regarding his role, the character awakens contrasting emotions in the rest of the monastery's inhabitants: admiration and fear.
Although the old man has lost his sight and is no longer in charge of the library, his spaces are known inch by inch, and his word is appreciated and considered prophetic by the other monks. For the creation of this antagonist, the author was inspired by the famous writer Jorge Luis Borges.
Historical actors
When it comes to historical fiction, several real characters can be found in the plot, who mostly they belonged to the religious sphere. Among them are: Bertrando del Poggetto, Ubertino da Casale, Bernardo Gui and Adelmo da Otranto.
Novel adaptations
Six years after the success of the novel, This was brought to the big screen by director Jean-Jacques Annaud. The film of the same name was starred by renowned actors Sean Connery - as Friar William - and Christian Slater - as Adso.
Like the book, the film production enjoyed excellent acceptance by the public; in addition, it obtained 17 prizes in international competitions. However, after its premiere, critics and the Italian media made strong statements against the film, as they considered it was not up to the acclaimed book.
In 2019, a series of eight episodes was released that enjoyed a success comparable to the novel and the movie. It was an Italian-German production made by Giacomo Battiato; It was distributed in more than 130 countries and achieved a lot of notoriety in Italy.
Fun Fact
The author based the story on Le manuscript of Dom Adson de Melk, a book he received in 1968. This manuscript was found in the monastery of Melk (Austria) and its creator signed it as: “Abbe Vallet”. This includes few historical evidence of the time. In addition, whoever wrote it claimed that it was an exact copy of the document found during the XNUMXth century in Melk Abbey.
About the author, Umberto Eco
On Tuesday, January 5, 1932, the Italian city of Alessandria saw the birth of Umberto Eco Bisio. He is the son of Giulio Eco - accountant - and Giovanna Bisio. After starting World War II, his father was called up to serve in the military. For this reason, the mother moved with the child to the town of Piedmont.
Studies and first work experiences
In 1954, he obtained a doctorate in Philosophy and Letters from the University of Turin. After graduating, I work in the RAI as a cultural editor and began his career as a university professor in the houses of study in Turin, Florence and Milan. At that time, he met important artists from the Gruppo 63, people who would later influence his career as a writer.
As of 1966, he dictated the chair of visual communication in the city of Florence. Three years later, he was one of the founders of the International Association of Semiology. For more than 30 years, he taught semiotics class at the University of Bologna. In that place, he established the Higher School of Humanistic Studies for higher-level faculty.
Literary race
In 1966,, the writer debuted with a couple of illustrated stories for children: The Bomb and the General y The three cosmonauts. Fourteen years later he published the novel that led him to stardom: The Name of the Rose (1980) Additionally, the author wrote six works, among which the following stand out: Foucault's pendulum (1988) and Baudolino Queen Loana (2000)
Eco he also dabbled in rehearsal, a genre in which he presented almost 50 works over 60 years. Among the texts, the following stand out: Open work (1962) Apocalyptic and integrated (1964), The Blessed of Liebana (1973) Treatise on general semiotics (1975) Second daily minimum (1992) and Build the enemy (2013)
Death
Umberto Eco fought for a long time against pancreatic cancer. Quite affected by the disease, died on Tuesday February 19, 2016 in the city of Milan.
Author's novels
- The Name of the Rose(1980)
- Foucault's pendulum(1988)
- The island of the day before(1994)
- baudolino(2000)
- The mysterious flame of Queen Loana(2004)
- The Prague cemetery(2010)
- Number zero(2015)