The question then is, must we silence the irrational voices inside and outside and make an effort to understand the complexity of our existence to save us from chaos? Umberto Eco continues the tradition of philosophical novels, a genre in which scientific concepts, logic and knowledge form an essential part of the story. This thesis focuses on two of his novels "Baudolino" and "The Name of the Rose".
Not all knowledge-systems can be considered having equal value, but they all present competing frameworks. Whether we gain knowledge directly or indirectly, there are many different ways of knowing. It is part of the human condition to think that what feels to be true can exist independently of what we are told is true. What is of personal value we keep defending, even if we have to ignore facts or discredit contradictory arguments by labelling them as lies. No single theory can explain what we call ‘reality’, but we readily assume that reasoning and first-hand experiences are better guides than feeling. Still, the problem of self-deception looms large in appearances and judgements. His novels explore the interrelationship of belief, factual knowledge, differences between reality and perception, which can be subsumed under the categories of epistemology (the origin, nature, and limits of knowledge) and ontology (modes of experience, the categorical structure of reality, the nature or essence of individuals and objects). Both narratives are filled with examples that show the complexity of existence. When experience can be flawed and reasoning can lead to false conclusions, cautiousness and doubt should be applied. The medieval debate of ideas about the world and our place in it invites readers to reflect and to establish connections between the past and the present.
The connection between Eco’s postmodern meta fictions "The Name of the Rose" and "Baudolino" is illustrated in the light of Eco's numerous theoretical works. Both novels incorporate metaphysical and philosophical issues in a framework of fictionalized medieval controversies that engage with the nature of truth, justifications for a variety of beliefs, and the conceptual making of reality. The historical struggle between nominalism and realism, between totality and detail, and between empiricism and dogmatism, makes for a philosophical tour de force.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: Creating Textual Worlds – Historiographic Metafiction
Encyclopaedia of knowledge
Microcosm and heterocosm
Intertextuality and anachronism
Historical and fictional characters
Historical verisimilitude: chroniclers narrate
Mixing different planes of reality
Creating a place for Prester John
Vortex of interpretation versus dogmatic closure
Chapter Two: Political Power-Struggle over Truth-Claims – Cui bono?
Rivalry between the state and the church
Secular and religious power based on forged letters
Suppression of dissidents
Subversive strategies: poverty debate, laughter and satire
Apocalypse: a new beginning or the end of everything?
What and where is paradise – How does one get there?
Chapter Three: Authority and Authenticity - Establishing and Controlling Truth-claims
The Library preserves and conceals knowledge
Heretics and Saints
The network of textual knowledge
Unicorns or rhinoceros?
Tradition has a social function
The force of persuasion
Suppressing alternative narratives
Chapter Four: Conceptual Making of Truth and Imagining Possibilities
Empiricism and science
Possibility and desire are part of the future
Feelings and inner truth
Idealism and archetypes
Relics and the importance of singularity
Symbolic ordering – signs and signifiers
The emptiness of language
The conflict between universals and individuals
Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this thesis is to examine how Umberto Eco, in his novels "The Name of the Rose" and "Baudolino," explores the philosophical and metaphysical concepts of truth. The work investigates how different epistemological and ontological models, as well as political and ecclesiastical authority, shape the construction and control of truth-claims within fictionalized medieval worlds.
- The role of "historiographic metafiction" in creating textual worlds.
- Political struggles between the Church and the State over the control of truth.
- The relationship between medieval authority, tradition, and the establishment of "authentic" knowledge.
- The interplay between individual perception, inner truth, and external factual reality.
Excerpt from the book
Encyclopaedia of knowledge
Baudolino creates much of his reality with knowledge from books with his adventures taking place in this different realm of existence. This suggests that even the empirical world of the reader might be ontologically flawed by its dependency on the prevalent encyclopaedia of knowledge that constitutes reality. Eco makes it clear that the encyclopaedia is not a fixed entity; rather, it takes in new discoveries, discards obsolete knowledge, and is potentially infinite. Systems of open and closed interpretation provide a key element in the analysis of truth, which becomes evident in Eco’s exploration of maximum stances: a proliferation of interpretative possibilities is dangerous to truth, because it leaves the signifier at once empty as well as overflowing with meaning, which finally renders the signifier meaningless. At the other extreme, closed interpretation encourages a singular, fixed interpretation. Caught up in an endless cycle of repetition, truth congeals into dogma, which protects and preserves an exclusive and dangerously univocal truth.
In both novels, the mutable encyclopaedia is revealed to be a cultural construct of its historical time, in which truth is always contingent upon the ongoing renewal of the existing epistemological model at any one time. For example, the episteme in Baudolino changes according to the different worlds and different modes of existence, as when Zosimos advises Baudolino that “if you want to reach the land of Prester John you must use the map of the world that Prester John would use and not your own – mind you, even if your map is more correct than his” (B 216). Zosimos’ instruction seems puzzling at first, but he implicitly suggests that all maps are drawn from a certain viewpoint that one must understand and follow in order to arrive at the destination. All maps have an agenda; they make a proposal about what the world looks like from a particular perspective that gives a reductive reading by leaving out many features. Baudolino understands that he has to adapt to a framework that is skewed toward the things that Prester John deems most important.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter One: Creating Textual Worlds – Historiographic Metafiction: Analyzes how Eco combines historical facts with fiction to create verisimilitude, utilizing the genre of historiographic metafiction to destabilize the boundary between history and narrative.
Chapter Two: Political Power-Struggle over Truth-Claims – Cui bono?: Explores how truth-claims serve as political tools in the power dynamics between the Church and the State, particularly through the use of forged documents and apocalyptic discourse.
Chapter Three: Authority and Authenticity - Establishing and Controlling Truth-claims: Examines how medieval authority and traditional textual sources were used to maintain an epistemological monopoly and control social behavior.
Chapter Four: Conceptual Making of Truth and Imagining Possibilities: Discusses the broader philosophical and theological conflicts of the Middle Ages, including the debate over universals, the rise of empiricism, and the role of inner truth.
Keywords
Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose, Baudolino, Truth-claims, Historiographic Metafiction, Epistemology, Ontology, Medieval Authority, Church and State, Encyclopaedia, Intertextuality, Nominalism, Apocalyptic Visions, Semiotics, Prester John.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this thesis?
The work explores how Umberto Eco addresses theories of truth through the narrative structures of his novels "The Name of the Rose" and "Baudolino," highlighting the tension between historical fact and fictional construction.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The central themes include the manipulation of truth for political power, the influence of ecclesiastical authority on knowledge, the role of tradition in maintaining dogmas, and the philosophical conflict between universals and individuals.
What is the overarching research goal?
The thesis aims to analyze the similarities and differences in how Eco represents the structuring of truth-claims, distinguishing between "The Name of the Rose" as a work focused on epistemological questions and "Baudolino" as one exploring ontological uncertainties.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The author uses a literary and philosophical analysis, applying concepts of semiotics, Foucault’s theory of the "episteme," and historiographic metafiction to interpret the novels.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main sections cover the construction of fictional worlds, the political use of faked evidence, the role of libraries and gatekeepers of knowledge, and the clash between traditional mysticism and emerging empiricism.
What are the characterizing keywords of the work?
The research is defined by keywords such as truth-claims, historiographic metafiction, epistemology, ontology, medieval authority, and semiotics.
How does the role of the "encyclopaedia" change in Eco's work?
The encyclopaedia is presented as a non-fixed, culturally constructed entity that evolves over time; it is subject to constant revision and reflects the prejudices of the era in which it is compiled.
Why is the concept of laughter important in "The Name of the Rose"?
Laughter acts as a subversive political tool that challenges established hierarchies and the seriousness of dogma; it provides a voice to the marginalized and creates a space for doubt, which the Church perceives as a threat.
How does "Baudolino" approach the concept of paradise?
In "Baudolino," paradise is an idealized construct used by characters to nurture hope and desire, functioning as a mental roadmap that motivates their quest and influences their perception of reality.
What distinction is made between "The Name of the Rose" and "Baudolino" in their treatment of truth?
"The Name of the Rose" portrays a struggle within a closed system controlled by dogma, whereas "Baudolino" allows for a more open, subjective, and individualistic experience of truth, often connected to the power of imagination.
- Quote paper
- Dr. Sabine Mercer (Author), 2010, Looking at concepts of truth and lies through fictional worlds. Umberto Eco’s novels "Baudolino" and "The Name of the Rose", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/996574
