The Name of the Rose

by Umberto Eco

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Discussion Topic

The symbolism of the library and the labyrinth in The Name of the Rose

Summary:

In The Name of the Rose, the library symbolizes the pursuit of knowledge and the power that comes with it, while the labyrinth represents the complexity and often elusive nature of truth. Together, they highlight the challenges and dangers inherent in the quest for understanding.

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Is the library in The Name of the Rose a labyrinth?

It is definitely described as a labyrinth in the text itself and numerous characters refer to it as a labyrinth. Note the way in which the library is secret, and that only certain people are allowed to go into it, and only certain people know of its layout and the ways in which books are organised and positioned. This is something that Jorge uses to his own benefit, as he, although he is literally blind, can "see" better than other characters in the library because of his knowledge of its layrinthine paths and its darkness. What is far more interesting and disturbing about the library however is not its presentation as an impenetrable labryinth without a seeming pattern or order, but the way in which it is presented as being a very gothic and almost supernatural setting. Note what Adso says about the books in the library in the following quotation:

Until then I had thought each book spoke of the things, human or divine, that lie outside books. Now I realized that not infrequently books speak of books: it is as if they spoke among themselves. In the light of this reflection, the library seemed all the more disturbing to me. It was then the place of a long, centuries-old murmuring, an imperceptible dialogue between one parchment and another, a living thing, a receptacle of powers not to be ruled by a human mind, a treasure of secrets emanated by many minds, surviving the death of those who had produced them or had been their conveyors.

The library therefore is presented as almost a supernatural force in itself, a place of danger and of challenge, in which characters stray at their peril. The wya in which "books speak of books" highlights a very important theme to Eco as he explores the inter-relations that one text has with another. It is therefore extremely fitting that the secret library is laid out as if it were a labyrinth, because it reinforces the idea of the books representing an accumulated knowledge that is difficult to penetrate and hard to grasp, just as the labyrinth itself is very challenging to solve.

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What do the library and the Labyrinth symbolize in The Name of the Rose?

It is only later on in the novel that Adso and William discover the secret behind the library and the labyrinth. They discover that the library and the labryinth are organised by the geographical origins of the books that are contained therein. The books are all grouped together according to where they come from, and the letters that they see result in the secret code that they can use to unlock the secret of the labyrinth and the library. Note what William says about this. As Adso says, "the plan of the library reproduces the map of the world." Note how William responds to him:

And the books are arranged according to the country of their origin, or the place where their authors were born...

The secret symbolism of the labyrinth and the library which William and Adso therefore subsequently realise is that it is literally a map of the world. Once they have realised this, they are able to use this knowledge to orientate themselves and find out where the secret room is that they seek.

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