Pundits will quickly label The Name of the Rose as a murder mystery set in the 14th century. It is, sure, but it is so much more. Just as the Magic Mountain is about a young bloke living in a sanatorium, but with ambitiously meditative undertones, the Name of the Rose is much the same. It is ambitious in its scope in its contemplations of religion, human nature and literature. Characters have violent conversations about obscure topics, such as whether Jesus laughed at all, and the nature of laughter and its purpose.
In some respect, these didactic conversations can be difficult to swallow, not because it is badly written but because the topics are left field, but they seem to distract the reader from the plot of the novel. Eco wrote himself that these so called “distractions” are really a test to the readers whether they are up for taking on the rest of the book or not. There are long contemplations of various sects who were wrestling for power in Europe during the epoch. Eco wrote in detail on the balance of power between the king, the pope, the Benedictines and the Franciscans. Throw in other obscure sects along the way, which also adds to the discussion of the nature of heretics.
Is it worth the read to get through so that you can enjoy the rest of the book? I’m not so sure. Eco is an erudite writer, who is more than capable of world building for a story set in that era. Some characters are brought back to life from history thanks to his writing, such as the bone chilling and manipulative inquisitor, Bernard Gui. These characters are well formed in the book and their presence serve a purpose of driving the plot and didactic contemplations along. But somehow this rubbed me the wrong way. At some point during my reading, I thought that the historical name dropping and flexing over the history were a bit pretentious. Sometimes it got a little bit too much, too dry and leaves the plot and themes scattered all over the place.
In some ways, the Name of the Rose is an inconsistent book — it is a flawed book. But it is a worthwhile read, as there is much to love in this book. As the the narrator was a novice monk when the story was set, there is careful discussions on proportions — even the number of parts of the book mirror the days of the week. Each chapter is a different part of the day, corresponding to the monks praying times, starting at the matins all the way to the night. There is much discussion of the architecture during the period, and how the architecture should also reflect religious themes. Adso’s mention of the Aedificium early on shows this:
“And thus anyone can see the admirable concord of so many holy numbers, each revealing a subtle spiritual significance. Eight, the number of perfection for every tetragon; four, the number of the Gospels; five, the number of the zones of the world; seven, the number of the gifts of the Holy Ghost.”
All throughout the book, especially in the character of William of Baskerville, the role of logic is explored in the light of religion, which somewhat makes the novel a quasi-theological text. Characters tussle against each other with passages from the bible and other theologians while discussing their ideas. Just think about William’s sparring against Jorge when discussing the role of laughter. However, logic falls into play just as a good Holmes novel — in solving the mystery of the murders.
What I loved about the book is its meditations about books and languages. Even from the beginning, we are made to question the story from a metafictive perspective — that it was based on a text that has long since been stolen, and that a new text was found but without the mention of the enigmatic narrator. The text we read then, is a reconstruction, muddled by the translations of latin to Italian and for most of us, to English. Eco used this as a plot device, lest it gives him the freedom to explore the world in greater detail and allows for imperfections.
The story revolves around the Aedificium, a building which at heart stores the library labyrinth. In the book, the library is a symbol of knowledge and power. Those who controls the access to the libraries hold the power to the monastery. The monks are the keepers of knowledge, but whether this knowledge is used, or buried untouched in the library is another question. The library holds not only religious texts but also non-religious philosophical text such as Greek philosophy. How the knowledge from this text is used is an internal struggle of the monastery.
As per always, we are only barely scratching the surface here. There is so much more we can explore. Eco himself sees the text as a postmodernist text, where resolution takes a step back, and the meaning is left for the reader herself to contemplate. Do not go into this book falling to the trap of thinking that it is a murder mystery text. Like I mentioned, Eco is ready to test the patience of reader and he made no apologies for it. Sometimes not knowing latin and finding it used so often is infuriating, despite the fact that Eco had already re-edited the book make the meaning clearer. Still it is time well spent for the patient reader, and there is much to explore beyond the book after you’re done.
