Dec 18, 2009

The Island of the Day Before | Techniques

A complete study of the techniques Eco uses in The Island of the Day Before would have to be as long as the novel itself. Even a quick survey of a few of the narratorial ploys, however, suggests the remarkable qualities of Eco's third novel.

Like The Name of The Rose (1980), The Island of the Day Before is presented as if it Were based on a recently-discovered manuscript. The modern narrator takes on much more responsibility this time, since the papers Roberto left on board the Daphne constitute a narrative full of gaps. Indeed, they were never conceived as a...