The Name of the Rose
Eco’s debut novel is a murder mystery set in 1327, in a Benedictine abbey renowned as a centre of learning. The bizarre death of a young monk gives rise to speculation of malevolent spirits or worse at play, plunging all the other monks into fear. To quell the hubbub and resolve matters before an important papal delegation headed by a notorious inquisitor arrives, the abbot sends for Brother William of Baskerville, an English Benedictine monk with ideas radical for his time. Deeply influenced by Roger Bacon, another Benedictine friar who dabbled in science and philosophy, Brother William usually thinks along the line of ‘the simplest reason is the most probable’. Sticking to this theory, he solves problems with nearly perfect accuracy. But, even the sharp William finds it difficult to crack the riddle posed by the abbey’s hallowed library, whose mysterious contents seem to have a hand in the deaths. As he and his assistant Adso search and ponder the matter, things seem to get out of hand when even more bizarre deaths happen and mistrust spreads in the brotherhood.
The book is written in the form of a memoir by a dying monk, Adso of Melk. Originally from an Austrian town called Melk, a young Adso accompanied William years ago as his mentee and assistant as the older man travelled about Europe. The momentous history of that era is seen throughout the book as Adso writes in detail about his master’s tryst at the fateful abbey. From Adso’s descriptive accounts, the reader gets to know about the immense upheavals that took place centuries ago that played an integral role in shaping Christianity as we know it today. Have in mind, though, that those few hundred years does not include each decisive event, such as the times of Emperor Constantine, the ecumenical councils and the schisms that followed soon after.
In the guise of a search for Aristotle's book, the long-lost second volume of Poetics, Eco takes us on a journey through the Middle Ages. For a history buff like me, The Name of the Rose was a riveting experience. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially Christian history, you will enjoy this book immensely. On the other hand, this main feature makes the book difficult to understand for most readers. Unless you find dogmas, furores around heresies and Middle Age conflicts between Christian monastic orders interesting, the book can prove hard to digest.
While all these weighty subjects look at us gravely like jurors, one thing stands out: the title. The Name of the Rose or Il nome della rosa doesn’t directly refer to anything related to the book. While reading more about how the title came to be, I found that it could have been inspired by multiple sources such as a quote; Stat rosa pristina nomine, nomina nuda tenemus or- the rose of old remains only in its name; we possess naked names. The accuracy of that quote by Bernard of Cluny is disputed though. Translators side with another version; Stat roma pristina nomine- the Rome of old remains only in its name. Even then, these lines seem strangely apt. Only a shell remains of ancient Rome; the present world can only stare with awe at the ruins and speculate about their significance.
A few beautiful verses by someone I admire, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, features in Eco’s notes for the book. I’ll leave them here for you.
Rosa que al prado, encarnada,
te ostentas presuntuosa
de grana y carmín bañada:
campa lozana y gustosa;
pero no, que siendo hermosa
también serás desdichada.
Translation:
Red rose growing in the meadow,
you vaunt yourself bravely
bathed in crimson and carmine:
a rich and fragrant show.
But no: Being fair,
You will be unhappy soon.
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