tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post7280784474440858510..comments2024-03-27T19:07:19.133-04:00Comments on The Silver Key: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, a reviewBrian Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05563309422791320114noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-8313995220550008022012-07-09T20:51:10.001-04:002012-07-09T20:51:10.001-04:00Being a Sherlock Holmes fan provides another layer...<i>Being a Sherlock Holmes fan provides another layer of enjoyment also.</i><br /><br />Good point Fred, I didn't mention that it's also an homage to these stories (William of Baskerville an obvious allusion).<br /><br /><i>One can easily believe that the 14th century was just like this. Eco doesn't pander much to his audience, and I like the way he creates a world that the reader has to adapt to.</i><br /><br />Great comment Pericles (ditto Mary). The past is indeed a different country, and one feels like a stranger in a strange land in <i>The Name of the Rose</i>. But there is also a feeling of familiarity with the characters and most have at some level a humanity with which we can identify.<br /><br /><i>Of course, THE NAME OF THE ROSE could have been made better if Eco had inserted some owl-riding scenes.<br />Still...</i><br /><br />If a giant owl came swooping in halfway through and committed one of the murders, the story would have been better x10, no doubt. Perhaps Eco would consider a sequel...Brian Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05563309422791320114noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-52658918705193693432012-07-08T19:23:23.205-04:002012-07-08T19:23:23.205-04:00I recommend to aspiring writers to read gobs and g...I recommend to aspiring writers to read gobs and gobs of primary source to knock their blocks off, so they do get that the past is a different country.<br /><br />The downside of that is that your reading habits are affected: you start to see the silly ahistorical backgrounds.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-47357405847394246242012-07-08T19:22:14.512-04:002012-07-08T19:22:14.512-04:00I recommend to aspiring writers to read gobs and g...I recommend to aspiring writers to read gobs and gobs of primary source to knock their blocks off, so they do get that the past is a different country.<br /><br />The downside of that is that your reading habits are affected: you start to see the silly ahistorical backgrounds.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-90934099354909307672012-07-08T19:01:12.302-04:002012-07-08T19:01:12.302-04:00Of course, THE NAME OF THE ROSE could have been ma...Of course, THE NAME OF THE ROSE could have been made better if Eco had inserted some owl-riding scenes.<br />Still...Periclesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-18359773842774514382012-07-08T18:54:53.997-04:002012-07-08T18:54:53.997-04:00My main compliant with historical novels is that t...My main compliant with historical novels is that they seem to have been written by people who can't truly imagine that the past is indeed a different country, and that those who lived in a previous age could think and act in ways that seem odd and incomprehensible to us. The writer filters way too much through his or her modern sensibilities, and this usually results in a story that's politically correct or mostly historical nonsense. Either way, these books comes across as silly and unbelievable.<br /><br />Which is why I enjoyed THE NAME OF THE ROSE so much. Obviously I'm not from the Middle Ages, so I can't tell how realistic the book is, but the sometimes difficult writing, the alien and thorny ways of thought, and the sheer strangeness of it all just seem to ring true. One can easily believe that the 14th century was just like this. Eco doesn't pander much to his audience, and I like the way he creates a world that the reader has to adapt to.<br /><br />A fine choice, Brian.Periclesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723077228948447528.post-8144749204126716592012-07-08T10:33:10.782-04:002012-07-08T10:33:10.782-04:00Brian,
Good review. Marvelous tale. I've re...Brian,<br /><br />Good review. Marvelous tale. I've read it twice, at least, and still think that there's more in there for me. <br /><br />I was raised Catholic so the religious issues make sense to me--many are still being debated today. I wonder how those who aren't Catholic perceive the issues.<br /><br />Being a Sherlock Holmes fan provides another layer of enjoyment also.Fredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10233846613173866140noreply@blogger.com