Call number
FIC ECO
Collection
Publication
Harcourt (1984), Edition: 1st, 84 pages
Description
This is a book which stems from the author's account of the genesis of his celebrated novel, The Name of the Rose, but which, like the novel itself, goes far beyond the particular. Eco's investigation of the mechanics of fiction expands into a debate that encompasses, in a small space, the workings of the imagination, the responsibilities of the novelist, and the blend of invention, research, and distilled commonsense that goes to make up the modern novel. Along the way, he touches on bad books, ideal readers, historical form, and the metaphysics of the detective story.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member Alixtii
Ostensibly a short essay about the writing of Eco's most famous novel, this is the best exploration of postmodernism, the postmodern moment, and postmodern literature that I have ever read. Here Eco the brilliant fiction writer and Eco the equally brilliant philosopher and semiotician are present
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in equal partts, and they engage and explore each other in a way which is as lyrical as it is insightful. The real topic is nothing short of our culture and history as postmoderns, and Eco lives up to the ambitious subject in a way very few authors could. Show Less
Pages
84
ISBN
015173156X / 9780151731565