An author who names his work "The Name of the Rose" should accurately face the multiple interpretations of the subject. As an empirical writer, I think I chose this title entirely to give the reader freedom of interpretation: "The image of the rose is so rich in meaning that it has no meaning now: Dante's Mystical Rose roses that stand for love; roses that cause wars; roses that dwarf art; roses that come by many other names; a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose, and a rose is a Roseclouist." The stat rosa pristina nomine in the stanza stat rosa pristina nomine nuda tenemus from which we borrow is found in an early manuscript of Molex's On the Contempt of the World—and thus more in line with the rest of the poem, Because this poem is about the deceased kingdom of Barumby. So, had I discovered this version at the time, the title of my novel would probably have been "The Name of Rome" rather than "The Name of the Rose", however, unfortunately, the title of my novel is "The Name of the Rose" after all instead of "The Name of Rome"; I understand how difficult it is now to stop the endless associations that the word "rose" evokes. Maybe I was just trying to open up as much room for interpretations as possible, but I didn't expect to make them all independent of each other, and the result was a series of independent interpretations. But the text of the work is there, and the author of experience must remain silent.
- Eco, Interpretation and Overinterpretation
Readers who have read "The Name of the Rose" know that the novel involves a mysterious manuscript at the beginning. The manuscript contains the second volume of Aristotle's "Poetics", but the pages are soaked with poisonous juice. The description goes like this...
These sentences were written in late 1979. In the days that followed, perhaps because of the publication of The Name of the Rose, I began to have more regular contact with library staff and book collectors, and I became a regular collector of rare books, and when I was younger, I also buy some used books occasionally, but only when they are very cheap. It wasn't until the 1980s that I became a serious favorite, because I had to consult a special catalogue of books frequently, and I had to create a file for each book with a history of editions, collation, and annotations. Development, but also to accurately describe the physical condition of the book. Accurately doing this latter point requires familiarity with some professional terms, such as what is brown spot, broken page, soft skin and hard skin, etc...
I suddenly realized that I was actually repeating the process written in The Name of the Rose in real life. The only difference is that in the book I bought, from page 120 onwards, when "The Art of Comedy" started, it was the bottom of the page not the top that was badly damaged, everything else was the same - the pages Gradually yellowed, soaked in moisture, and finally stuck together looking like it had been stained by some nasty oil. I'm holding in my hand the manuscript I've written about in the novel, but in print rather than handwriting. It's been within reach of my study for years.
- Eco, Interpretation and Overinterpretation
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