FULL SUMMARY

‘The Interview’ written by Christopher Sylvester briefs the new invention – interview in the field
of journalism. Interview that was invented over 130 years have become a commonplace
journalism. Today, every literate or illiterate will have to experience interview at some point of
the daily life.

However, opinions of interview- of its functions, methods and merits vary considerably. Some
claim it as a source of truth and in its practice, an art. Others despise the interview as an
‘unwarranted intrusion into their lives’. They feel it diminishes them. Sylvester lists out well –
known writers who are against interview – V.S. Naipaul, Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, H.G.
Wells though he had interviewed many personalities. It is surprising to notice that as interviewer,
each one is comfortable, whereas, as an interviewee, they feel it much disturbing and
diminishing. Yet in the words of the writer, ‘it is a serviceable medium communication’.

Part II is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco, author of the popular novel,’ Name of the
Rose’ by Mukund Padmanabhan from ‘The Hindu’ This interview helps us know many aspects
of his writing style and ideas. Though he gives the impression of doing many things at a time, he
says he is doing the same thing, pursuing his philosophical interests through his writings and his
novels. Through his modest answers, he tells the secret of his success .He utilizes the interstices
– empty spaces to his advantage.

Umberto eco pan academician refers himself to be called an academician. He has written 40
philosophical writings and just 5 novels. When Mukund Padmanabhan asks the reason behind
the huge success of ’The Name of the Rose’, he honestly replies that it is a mystery even to him.
Perhaps the appropriateness of the time it was written could be the reason. He himself admits had
the novel come 10 years later or earlier, the novel would not have got such success.

As we go through this extract, we can easily note that Umberto Eco does not think, interview is a
crime or an offence. He interacts properly and modestly.

NOTES
PART I
 Interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Opinions on the functions, methods and
merits of Interview vary considerably.
 Some claim it to be the highest form, a source of truth and in its practice an art.
 Some despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into lives, which diminishes their
personality.
 S. Naipaul feels that ‘some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.’
 Lewis Carroll never consented to be interviewed for he believed it to be ‘a just horror of the
interviewer’.
 Rudyard Kipling considered it ‘immoral, a crime, an assault that merits punishment’.
 G. Wells referred interviewing to be an ‘ordeal’.
 Saul Bellow describes it ‘like thumbprints on his windpipe’.
 Despite the drawbacks interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication.
Interviews are the most vivid impression of our contemporaries and the interviewer holds a
position of unprecedented power and influence.
PART II
 An extract from an interview of Umberto Eco interviewed by Mukund Padmanabhan.
 Umberto Eco was a professor with a formidable reputation as a scholar for his ideas on
Semiotics, literary interpretation and medieval aesthetics before he turned into writing literary
fiction. He attained intellectual superstardom with his publication “The Name of the Rose”.
 In the interview Eco shares his idea of empty spaces in our lives just as they exist in an atom,
which he calls Interstices. He says that he makes use of these empty spaces to work.
 Eco’s essays were scholarly and narrative. He likes to be identified more as a university
professor who writes novels.
 Eco’s ‘The Name of the Rose”, a serious novel, which delves into metaphysics, theology and
medieval history, enjoyed a mass audience. It dealt with medieval past. He feels that the novel
wouldn’t have been so well received had it been written ten years earlier or later

The Interview

1. Answer each of the following questions in about 30-40 words:

Question 1.Why did Umberto Eco prefer himself to be called an academician than a novelist?
Answer: Despite achieving fame as a novelist, Eco preferred to associate himself with the
academic community because his non-fictional work occupied him for the first fifty years of his
life. He wrote his first novel at the age of around fifty. He identified himself more with the
academic community and resorts to writing fiction only when he was not pursuing some
scholarly work .
Question2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?

Or

Question2. What are the views of writers like VS Naipaul and Lewis Carroll on interviews?

Answer: Celebrities like VS Naipaul, Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll and H.G. Wells have
expressed their strong despise for interviews. They consider interviews immoral -'an assault'
because they feel interviews leave a rather disparaging effect on their personalities and are an
encroachment on their privacy.

Question 3. What was unique and distinctive about Eco's academic writing style?
Or
What do you learn about Umberto Eco's distinctive style in his doctoral dissertation?
Answer: Umberto Eco's academic writing style is personal, informal and playful. He fills his
research stories with all the trials and errors so that even his research work has the uniqueness of
creative writing and reading. It’s not only informative but also interesting.

Question 4. State the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose".
Answer: There is no one reason for the huge success of the novel "The Name of the Rose'.
Umberto Eco himself calls its success a mystery. It is possible that this detective story that
delved into metaphysics, theology and medieval history, interested the readers because the time
in which it was written was most appropriate, neither a decade earlier nor a decade later.

Question 5. "The Name of the Rose" deals with medieval history. Was it responsible for the
novel's success?

Answer: The success of the novel The Name of the Rose' did not depend on merely one factor.
Many other novels dealt with medieval history but did not achieve much success. Its success is
more attributed to the timing of its publication, its narrative style and detective yarn and also the
fact that it delves into metaphysics and theology along with medieval history.

Question 6. What did the publisher think of 'The Name of the Rose'?

Answer: The American publisher of The Name of the Rose' loved and liked the novel but did not
expect to sell more than 3,000 copies. No one goes to a cathedral or studies Latin in America so
it was really difficult to sell such a novel there. But the publisher was proved wrong as two to
three million copies of the novel were sold in America.

Question 7. What drawbacks of interviews have been pointed out by Lewis Carrol?
Lewis Carrol considers interviews as an 'unwarranted intrusion' that is immoral and an offence
against his person. He shunned interviews for fear of being projected as larger than life His
vehement refusal for interviews enabled him to keep his fans as well as interviews at an arm's
length.

Question 8. Why do most celebrity writers hate to be interviewed?

Answer: Most of the celebrity writers shun interviews as they feel that interviews leave a
disparaging effect on their personalities. They consider them as an encroachment on their
privacy. Writers like VS. Naipaul feel they are being wounded by interviews and thus losing a
part of themselves.

Question 9. How did Lewis Carroll react to the interviews? Or

What was Lewis Carroll's attitude towards being interviewed?

Answer: Lewis Carrol shunned interviews for the fear of being projected as larger than life. He
vehemently refused to give interviews and kept his fans, acquaintances and interviewers at an
arm's length. This give him a great sense of satisfaction.

Q2 Answer each of the following questions in about 125-150 words.

Question 10. What made the American publisher think that the novel, ‘The Name of the Rose'
won't sell in America? What actually happened? What was the secret of its success?
Or
What is the reason for the huge success of the novel "The Name of the Rose" according to
Umberto Eco?
Answer. The American publisher believed that people like trash whereas The Name of the Rose'
delved into metaphysics, theology and medieval history and people do not like these difficult
reading experiences. Through his novel, which sold between 10 to 1 5 million copies, Umberto
Eco reached only a small percentage of readers. But, according to him, it is those kind of readers
who do not want easy experiences, or at least, do not always want this. Umberto Eco cannot
categorically state the reason for the huge success of the novel, 'The Name of the Rose'. He
himself refers to its success as a mystery. He feels this detective story that delved into
metaphysics, theology and medieval history interested the readers as it was written at the most
appropriate time. Had it been written a decade earlier or later, it would not have been so
successful. The way the book stormed the literary world, once it was out, surprised everyone.
Even though it contained somewhat heavy reading, the book attracted a mass audience and Eco
became famous as a novelist, rather than an academic scholar the world over.
Q 11.What do you think about Umberto Eco? Does he like being interviewed? Give reasons in
support of your answer from the text 'The Interview'.
Answer: Unlike various other celebrities who express a strong dislike for interviews and consider
it an encroachment upon their privacy, Umberto Eco seems to kind of enjoy giving interviews
considering the spirited manner in which he answers the questions put forth to him by the
interviewer, Mukund Padmanabhan. Eco readily and truthfully answers all the questions in the
most humble and sincere manner, delving into details, thus revealing the fact that he actually
does not mind sharing his experiences with others. At no point does he display any kind of haste
to wind up the interview. In fact, he explicitly answers all the questions that Padmanabhan asks
him giving the interviewer a feeling of warmth and being welcome.

Question 12 .Why did Umberto Eco start writing novels and where? What does Eco say about
the huge success of his novel, 'The Name of the Rose' in spite of it being a difficult and very
serious novel?

Answer: Umberto Eco was essentially an academician who pursued his scholarly pursuits
through academic writings. He wrote about forty non-fictions and as he himself says, 'he became
a novelist by accident'. That was the reason he started writing novels at the age of almost fifty.
Eco considers himself 'a university professor who writes novels (only) on Sundays'. He is not
even very sure about any one single reason for the huge success of his novel 'The Name of the
Rose'. He feels perhaps the timing of the novel's publication was the most important factor of its
success. The fact that at one level it appears to be a detective yarn but also delves into
metaphysics, theology and medieval history also adds to its appeal. Though the novel is quite a
heavy reading experience, it attracted a mass audience and made Eco popular more as a novelist
rather than an academic scholar.

Question 13What impression do you form about Umberto Eco as a scholar and writer on the
basis of 'The Interview'? Or
What was distinctive about Eco's academic writing style?

Answer:Umberto Eco's style is narrative, written in the manner of a story. This is in contrast to a
regular academic style which is invariably depersonalised, dry and boring. His scholarly work
has a certain playful and personal quality to it. He pursued his philosophical interests through his
academic work and novels. He also wrote books for children on non-violence and peace.
Umberto Eco, a professor at the IJ University of Bologna, in Italy, is an authority on Semeiotics,
the study of signs. He is also a well known novelist. His scholarly works include academic texts,
essays, childrens' books and newspaper articles. He pursues his philosophical interests through
his academic writings and novels. In spite of having reached the zeniths of intellectuality, Eco is
a humble and modest scholar. He brushes aside compliments and never boasts about his
achievements. He is keen to share his experiences with others and shares the secret of
accomplishing so much work by revealing the facts that he makes use of time- gaps between
different pieces of work. Eco follows an informal and playful style of writing with a narrative
aspect. Even his research work has a quality of creative writing and makes informative as well as
interesting reading.

Question 14. Eco's academic work has certain playful and personal quality about it. Comment.
Answer: Eco presents his arguments very logically and with a subtle wit and playfulness to it. He
himself says that he started writing novels by accident. He essentially considers himself a
university professor who wrote novels on Sunday. This non-fictional writing is a marked
departive from the regular depersonalised style which is often dry and boring . Even his research
work has the quality of creative writing and makes not only information but also interesting
reading. In his doctoral dissertation, Eco tells the story of his research including his trials and
errors. His: essays too always have a narrative aspect.

Question 15. Umberto Eco is an academic as well as a famous novelist. Comment.

Answer:Despite getting famous as a novelist, Umberto Eco always associated himself with the
academic community. He has written only five novels as compared to the forty scholarly works
of non-fiction. He considers himself as a university professor who writes novels on Sundays.
When he presented his first Doctoral dissertation in Italy, one of the professors was impressed by
the way he told the story of his research, including his trials and errors. His essays always have a
narrative aspect. He started writing novels quite late, at the age of 50, by accident to satisfy his
taste for narration.

Question 16.Why do some celebrity writers not like being interviewed ?

Answer: Some celebrities see themselves as victims, and despise the interview as an unwarranted
intrusion into their lives. They feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive
cultures it is believed that 'if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing
that person's soul'. VS. Naipaul feels that 'some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part
of themselves'. Lewis Carroll says that he has 'just a horror for the interviewer' and he never
consented to be interviewed. Rudyard Kipling expressed an even more condemnatory attitude
towards the interviewer. His wife reports her husband as saying that he considered an interview
as a crime and immoral and thus it merits punishment.