Name of the Rose - Book Report/Review Example

Name Institution Course Date The name of the rose Introduction Intertextuality represents the feature of works borrowing from each other. This means that an author may borrow a phrase or an entire concept from the work of another author or writer. Borrowing of words, phrases or concepts from previous texts enables the enrichment of a writers work. According to EcoUmberto books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told. Being the author of the name of the rose, the relevance of this statement is quite clear (Eco, Umberto, 1995).The name of the rose is an intellectual mystery story. It is characterized by biblical analysis, literary theory, medieval time’s politics as well as semiotics in fiction. The story surrounds is told in first person by a narrator who is a scribe to a learned man named William of Baskerville. Adso of Melk is the scribes name and he travels with his master to an abbey in northern Italy to attend a conference which the master is supposed to mediate. On arrival at the abbey, William displays is able to help in finding the horse of the abbot which had disappeared. Impressed by Williams work, he decides to confer William another task. Williams’s new task is investigating the recent death of Adelmo of Otranto, an illuminator, whose body was found outside the monastery walls.Abo the abbot of the abbey wants the death mystery unraveled before the arrival of the other conference delegates. This is because he is afraid his abbey will be put under investigation by two of the delegates, cardinal Bertrand Del Pogetto and Bernard Gui. Unfortunately for him more people die before and after the delegates arrive. Still no answers or fruitful results have come from Williams’s investigation. When Venantius is fund, his head is in a pail of pig blood while Berengar drowns in a birth. Malachi dies shortly after Severinus who is murdered on the dawn of the meeting. This leaves William at a crossroads because Severinus was a herbalist and had been helping him investigate the murders (Haft, Adele, 199). These unfortunate events are followed by what Abo had feared most. Cardinal Bertrand DelPogetto and Bernard Gui use the unsolved murders as an excuse to have the abbey under investigation. The abbot therefore dismisses William from his second responsibility in fear that further investigations would reveal some unpleasant issues hence embarrass the abbey. However, William continues to investigate on his own until he discovers the truth behind the deaths. Jorge Burgos, an elderly blind man and former librarian, hid a book he brought with him from native Spain in an inaccessible part of the abbeys library. The book entailed Aristotle poetics which implied that comedy was the first book to deal with tragedy hence regarding laughter and fun as a negative thing. Jorge hid it to ensure no one else read the book(Haft, Adele, 199). However, the current assistant librarian Berengar found the book. He had been in love with Adelmo for sometime, therefore he asked for sex in exchange for Aldemos view of the book. Adelmo later felt guilty of his actions and jumped of the monastery walls to commit suicide. Meanwhile Berengar showed Venantius the book and they ended up killing themselves unknowingly. This was due to the fact that Jorge had poisoned the pages of the book. Therefore anyone who read it would die from leaking their fingers in order to flip the pages of the book. Severinus took the book from Berengar when he was found in the bath. Malachi the current librarian was the ally of Jorge. Therefore he killed Severinus to be able to get the book from him and take it to Jorge. However, he succumbed to the temptation of reading the book and ended up dying due to the poison on the pages. Once William has pieced together the puzzle he is victorious. However, Jorge eats the pages of the book to prevent anyone else form reading it and succumbs to the poison. The existence of the name of the rose is major evidence of the statement made by Eco Umberto in regards to intertextuality. Every story tells a story that has already been told. To begin with he expresses in the prologue that the idea of the name of the rose, hailed from a book he had but lost. He expresses the connection, understanding and enthusiasm that he experienced as he read the book in 1968. He states the trouble he went through trying to find another copy after he lost the first one. Unfortunately the copies he found seemed different from the original copy. All he had left was a manuscript of the original copy which he decided to expand like the rest of the other versions. All he did was decide on the way he needed his version of the story and he picked a Latin method and wrote in Italian. He published the novel the name of the rose in 1982. He had written the book from the inspiration of a book he had read in 1968. The book was claimed to have been a faithful reproduction of a manuscript from the fourteenth century. It was claimed that the manuscript had been found in a monastery and was written by Adso of Melk. Eco maintains the narrator Adso Melk all through the story, using him as a first person narrator. More intertextuality is witnessed in the creation of characters in the name of the rose. Eco Umberto borrows the Sherlock Holmes character concept in creating William of Baskerville. This is evident both in terms of behavior and physique. The vivid description he offers or William varies only in words and phrases however the image created is very similar in the readers mind. For example, in 1903, Sherlock Holmes was described to be over six feet in height and extremely lean that he seemed considerably taller. Eco uses a similar description of his character William by saying: his height surpassed that of normal man and he was so thin that he seemed still taller. In the same way the height is described in such a similar way in both novels their eyes are also described with great similarity. Eco describes willies eyes as sharp and penetrating; meanwhile, Conan Doyle’sexpresses SherlockHolmes eyes as sharp and piercing. Eco also goes ahead to liken William to Sherlock Holmes by giving him a drug addiction problem. While Sherlock Holmes was an occasional cocaine user, Williams used herbs that had narcotic effects. Intertextuality of the name of the rose and Sherlock Holmes is also evident in the way the stories are old. Eco had a choice to narrate the story by assuming the narrators position and narrating the story of both the Adso and William. However as he wrote the book he allowed Adso an assistant, scribe and student of William narrate the story himself. This is because Adso was Williams’s closest friend and he witnessed all the escapades of his master. In the same sense, Conan allows Dr. Watson to tell the story about Sherlock Holmes because he is the closest person to Holmes during his adventures. Sherlock Holmes is a favorite detective fiction novel to date. It is therefore sensible that by using some of Sherlock Holmes characters and concepts William becomes a more captivating character for the audience. The intertextuality in the name of the rose continues to thrive in the character of Jorge. Eco wrote about Jorge of Borgus due to the inspiration of the Spanish writer, Jorge Francisco Borges. Jorge of Borgus is an old man who is obsessed about books, libraries, labyrinths and mirrors. These characteristics are found in the works of Jorge LouisBorges in Ficciones and the Aelph.Eco’s library is different from Borges library in some ways. However the mazes, labyrinth and secret inaccessible places are very similar. The concept of book about book and the other characteristics are evident in both the plot and the philosophical debates conducted. Eco stated that he also used Jorge Francisco’s name due to the gratitude he had for all the ideas he got from him for his book. The introduction of the name of the rose is characterized by excessive and detailed description of characters, times, historical factors and philosophical debates. Reality and imagination are blurred by these thorough introductions. Anyone who has read work by Jorge FranciscoBorges recognizes the technique that eco uses in the introduction of his book. More influence from Borges is witnessed in the persistence of reference to books, scholarly quotations and profusion of characters in Eco’s work. The intertextuality of the name of the rose may also be traced to the collection of folk tales named Arabian nights. This collection of western and south stories contains short stories with crime fiction elements. The stories are mainly believed to be folk tales that existed centuries before their translation to English in 1707. Some of the short stories entail a series of murders or crimes with no one to account for them (Eco, Umberto, 1995). Only suspicions and clues tat lead to dead ends constitute the story. However, they are able to catch the culprit at the end of the day. Most of the crime stories involve the mistake of a single person, who causes the deaths of the rest of the people. Similar to Eco’s work the stories are full of suspense and intellect and investigations only stop when the truth of the matter is found. In one story for example: Harun al Rashid finds a chest stuffed with the body of a young woman. He orders his Jafar to apprehend the culprit in less than three days or die. Just as Jafar is about to be executed on the third day, two men confess to be the killers. The younger of the two men is the real murdered and the husband of the deceased. However some blame also lays ion a slave who had taken the apple that caused the wife’sdeath. The Jafar is given three days to find the slave. He fails again and is almost executed until he realizes that his daughter holds the apple given to him by his slave. All this content of the short story is very similar to the clues and dead ends that William encounters as he tries to solve the murder (Wischermann, Heinfried 1997).  In another illustration f intertextuality between Eco’s work and Arabian stories is a story where a comedian chocks on food during dinner at a tailor couples house. Afraid of the kings wrath the couple dumps the body at the at a doctors clinic. Unfortunately the doctor trips on the comedian’s body making him fall down the stars. When the doctor notices he is dead, he assumes he caused by the fall and shoves his body into the chimney. This illustrates the accidental deaths that Eco writes about in his book. Intertextuality does not stop there in this book. Intertextuality with the bible is also a very evident issue in the book. There is extreme dominance of biblical philosophy at the beginning of the book. This seems usual due to the fact that the book mainly surrounds the lives of pious people like the cardinals, brothers, abbots and monks. Eco uses direct phrases and sentences in intertextuality of his work and the bible. For example, at the beginning the novel starts with a verse in genesis; in the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was god. This statement is most likely found in the exact same words in the bible. The only variation would occur in the wording due to differences in versions. In explaining the disappointment he feels toward the current world, he mention a few women form the bible and expresses the changes that have taken place since he was a young man. He also uses other words and phrases from the bible to enhance the Christian approach that is intended. He incorporates biblical words and phrases in his storytelling skills and creates humor. The intertextuality in the romantic relationship between the poor girl and Ados can be from so many angles. The poor girl was an extreme temptation for Ados.He helped her when she needed help but he almost gave up being a novice to be with her (Ketzan, Erik, 2007). The story could make a perfect fairy tale due to the fact that dos intended to save her. However he does not manage to save her because she dies at the end of the day. Also there is love at first sight and they rush into intimacy at ones. This is comparable to Romeo and Juliet. Ados was in a moment of crisis on whether to leave the ministry or not. However the girl dying helped with the decision to make.An enemy of the people and the name of the rose also have a few intertextualities. William is an intellectual man who values truth. Ados makes is clear that William always had suspicion because he felt that people might be lying to him. He witnesses the corruption, and traditional methods that hold the religion back. Although he steps back to attend to other issues he believes in, he does not deny his religion. Doctor stockman, is a man of intellect and integrity (Coletti, Theresa, 1988). He also has a high value for truth and witnesses the corruption, ignorance and traditions that fail his community. However, he chooses to remain in town although the people do not trust him. Both men understand the importance of change in their society. The best part is that they understand that change begins with them. Just like the political system resists change in the enemy of the people, the community under the papal authority is unable to change. They hold o to their traditions unknowingly that the church uses Christianity to manipulate them. Onosby Lucian and Metamorphoses by Apuleius are also contributors to the name of the rose. On the second day of William and Adso in the abbey, they visit the library. This is shortly after the death of Venantius. Among his documents Adso discovers a book which talks of a man who was turned into an ass. William identifies this book to be ascribed to Lucian. The story in the book reminds Adso of a book forbidden to novices and written by Apuleius. The intertextuality is very clear because the two books are comic books which spark a heated debate between Jorge and William in regards to the morality of laughter (Wischermann, Heinfried , 1997)The morality of laughter is the main cause for the deaths in the abbey because Jorge seeks to hide the book Aristotle wrote regarding the morality of laughter. The thematic intertextuality is impossible to ignore. Eco’s book entails inhumane degradation due to sexual curiosity. Berengarlures Aldemo to have sex with him in exchange for reading the book. This theme mirrors the happenings in Lucian’s story about the man who was turned into an ass. Eco’s book tempts the reader with clues of the author’s identity (Eco, Umberto, 1995).This is a similarity to metamorphoses which also keeps the curiosity of the author high. The intertextuality of theses books is very noticeable in the name of the rose owing to the fact that Onos is also a book of intertextuality. It is a book that speaks both of and to another book. Adso expresses that the book of Apuleius is forbidden to novices. However in telling the story he expresses the themes and ideas of the book that the novices are not meant to read. Conclusion The word intertextuality was coined by Kristevan at around 1960. Since then different people have created different meanings for it. Others feel that it is an excuse for people to plagiarize other peoples work without having to recognize it or them. Either way eco Umberto also comprehends definition and uses it creatively. The use of intertextuality continues even after the name of the rose. Eco understands uses and manipulates intertextuality in different ways. However this sometimes limits his ability to reference and cite. However a text needs not be cited for the reader to understand. The name of the rose is a book that he discovered, reconstructed and translated to different pages from the autobiographical manuscript of Adso of melk. Works cited Eco, Umberto. Name of the rose.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.1995. Coletti, Theresa Naming the Rose. Cornell University Press. 1988.  Haft, Adele The Key to The Name of the Rose. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472- 08621-41999  Ketzan, Erik. "Borges and The Name of the Rose". Retrieved 2007-08-18. Wischermann, Heinfried (1997). Romanesque. Konemann. Read More

This was due to the fact that Jorge had poisoned the pages of the book. Therefore anyone who read it would die from leaking their fingers in order to flip the pages of the book. Severinus took the book from Berengar when he was found in the bath. Malachi the current librarian was the ally of Jorge. Therefore he killed Severinus to be able to get the book from him and take it to Jorge. However, he succumbed to the temptation of reading the book and ended up dying due to the poison on the pages.

Once William has pieced together the puzzle he is victorious. However, Jorge eats the pages of the book to prevent anyone else form reading it and succumbs to the poison. The existence of the name of the rose is major evidence of the statement made by Eco Umberto in regards to intertextuality. Every story tells a story that has already been told. To begin with he expresses in the prologue that the idea of the name of the rose, hailed from a book he had but lost. He expresses the connection, understanding and enthusiasm that he experienced as he read the book in 1968.

He states the trouble he went through trying to find another copy after he lost the first one. Unfortunately the copies he found seemed different from the original copy. All he had left was a manuscript of the original copy which he decided to expand like the rest of the other versions. All he did was decide on the way he needed his version of the story and he picked a Latin method and wrote in Italian. He published the novel the name of the rose in 1982. He had written the book from the inspiration of a book he had read in 1968.

The book was claimed to have been a faithful reproduction of a manuscript from the fourteenth century. It was claimed that the manuscript had been found in a monastery and was written by Adso of Melk. Eco maintains the narrator Adso Melk all through the story, using him as a first person narrator. More intertextuality is witnessed in the creation of characters in the name of the rose. Eco Umberto borrows the Sherlock Holmes character concept in creating William of Baskerville. This is evident both in terms of behavior and physique.

The vivid description he offers or William varies only in words and phrases however the image created is very similar in the readers mind. For example, in 1903, Sherlock Holmes was described to be over six feet in height and extremely lean that he seemed considerably taller. Eco uses a similar description of his character William by saying: his height surpassed that of normal man and he was so thin that he seemed still taller. In the same way the height is described in such a similar way in both novels their eyes are also described with great similarity.

Eco describes willies eyes as sharp and penetrating; meanwhile, Conan Doyle’sexpresses SherlockHolmes eyes as sharp and piercing. Eco also goes ahead to liken William to Sherlock Holmes by giving him a drug addiction problem. While Sherlock Holmes was an occasional cocaine user, Williams used herbs that had narcotic effects. Intertextuality of the name of the rose and Sherlock Holmes is also evident in the way the stories are old. Eco had a choice to narrate the story by assuming the narrators position and narrating the story of both the Adso and William.

However as he wrote the book he allowed Adso an assistant, scribe and student of William narrate the story himself. This is because Adso was Williams’s closest friend and he witnessed all the escapades of his master. In the same sense, Conan allows Dr. Watson to tell the story about Sherlock Holmes because he is the closest person to Holmes during his adventures. Sherlock Holmes is a favorite detective fiction novel to date. It is therefore sensible that by using some of Sherlock Holmes characters and concepts William becomes a more captivating character for the audience.

The intertextuality in the name of the rose continues to thrive in the character of Jorge. Eco wrote about Jorge of Borgus due to the inspiration of the Spanish writer, Jorge Francisco Borges.

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