The Name of the Rose

There are many books I read over and over. Among them are Dracula by Bram Stoker, the Republic by Plato, and the Bible. Ah, I almost forgot. I read all of Sherlock Holmes canon twice, some of the adventures three or four times. Now, there are a few books that I haven’t read more than once, but I think I should. One that I want to read again is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

I probably read it around 30 years ago. But many things are still fresh in my mind.

The importance of gay characters

Do you know what it means for a young gay man in his twenties who is struggling with his sexuality to see himself represented in a best-seller? There’s a latent homosexuality transpiring through the entire narrative. To start with, the monks who are being murdered are involved in a love triangle. Is that why they are being killed? Is one of the lovers killing the others? Or are they being killed for being gay? Then, the narrator, Adso of Melk, notices that many of the other monks watch him with lust. It seems at some parts that he isn’t sure if he likes it or not. Finally, almost every character is male. There’s just one female character, the mysterious and almost feral girl that lives outside of the abbey.

What is the Rose?

It is not clear what the Rose in the title alludes to. I think that, consciously or unconsciously, Umberto Eco wanted it to be this way. Some people think that it can refer to the lost second half of Aristotle’s Poetics. This is the part that deals with comedy and plays an important part in the story. Others think it refers to the girl to whom Adso unwillingly falls in love to. Still others think it may refer to the philosophical problem of universals. According to nominalism, universals are mere names. There is not a universal rose. There are only particular flowers that we call “roses” by giving them that name.

I love books that leave open questions like these.

“Thus I rediscovered what writers have always known (and have told us again and again): books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told.”

Postscript to The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

I know I didn’t touch on many interesting aspects of the book. For example, it has a library building with a secret labyrinth. The main character is called William of Baskerville. This is a tribute to Sherlock Holmes through one of his most famous cases, The Hound of the Baskervilles. And many other details. But I hope that the ones I mentioned here will instigate you to read it. I myself want to read The Name of the Rose again.