The Name of the Rose is the 1980 debut novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery, in the year 1327, an intellectual mystery
combining semiotics in fiction, biblical
analysis, medieval studies and literary theory. It was translated into English by William Weaver in 1983.
Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and Adso of Melk, a Benedictine novice travelling under his
protection, arrive at a Benedictine monastery in Northern Italy to attend a theological disputation.
Upon their coming, the monastery is disturbed by a suicide. As the story
unfolds, several other monks die under mysterious circumstances. William is
tasked by the monastery's abbot to investigate the
deaths, and fresh clues with each murder victim lead William to dead ends and
new clues.
The protagonists explore a labyrinthine medieval library, discuss the
subversive power of laughter, and come face to face with the Inquisition, a reaction to the Waldensians, a heresy which started in the 12th century and
claimed to advocate an adherence to the Gospel as taught by Jesus and his
disciples.
William's innate curiosity and highly developed powers of logic and deduction
provide the keys to unraveling the abbey's mysteries.
No comments:
Post a Comment