As such, Eco devotes a good deal of dialogue to extolling the virtues of deductive reasoning and its function for an inquisitor. We also get to see what life was like for a novice monk in the fourteenth century, the challenges he faces in an uncertain religious climate, and the temptations embodied by physical lust.Īdso's mentor, William of Baskerville, is a self-professed follower of Roger Bacon and William of Occam's schools of scientific method and deduction. By having him tell the story much later in life, Eco can use the older, narrating Adso as a filter for the experiences of his younger self. It helps that the narrator is, at the time of the events, a novice monk, companion to the protagonist-a Watson to William of Baskerville's Holmes would be the most obvious comparison, although not entirely accurate.Īnd what of our two main characters? Adso of Melk is everything a narrator needs to be.
Each conversation originates as a logical consequence of an event within the world of the novel.
Sure, they may not be directly related to the mystery, but none of them feel artificially-induced for the sake of educating the reader about a particular facet of medieval life. Yet at the same time, none of these digressions distract too much from the main plot. Instead, their language, habits (no pun intended), and thought processes are those of fourteenth century monks. The characters in the book are not cardboard cutouts, modern people wearing the clothing of fourteenth century monks but otherwise curiously resembling our own friends and family. And that I did.īy including discussions of contemporary events outside the secluded setting of the novel, Eco manages to draw me into 1327. But the length of time it takes me to read a book is irrelevant, as long as I enjoy it. As a result of the book's depth, not to mention its lengthy passages of medieval rhetoric, I started this in October and am only now finishing it I read other books on the side to keep myself occupied. Umberto Eco sets out not just to provide another pulp fiction fodder for the masses, but to construct a richly-textured story-or rather, history-with elements of mystery, rhetoric, and religion.
It took me a long time to finish this book (perhaps the longest time it's ever taken me to read a book). It once again took me a long time to read, but it was a nice distraction from what's going on right now. This remains an excellent mystery wrapped in deep medievalist philosophy and thought. Honestly, I don't have much to add to my review from 12 years ago (!).
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