The Name of the Rose - Sherlock Holmes of Umberto Eco in the Middle Ages

Arthur Conan Doyle carries the tradition of crime and criminals along with deep observation methods to answer the mysteries that require human intelligence. The observational method strengthens inductive and deductive reasoning of both human generated processes and natural phenomenon. It is the core analytical instrument used by detective to sift relevant from irrelevant. Sherlock Holmes solves mysteries by observing facts. Holmes uses inductive reasoning to create profiles of culprits. Dr. Watson prepares a chart of Holmes’ limitations, giving an impression that Holmes scores high in scientific knowledge and decent on sensational literature. However, scientific knowledge does not incorporate pure science. Science assists in deduction from the chunk; it segregates essential from inessential. Holmes possesses proper knowledge a detective should have to distinguish between apparent and hidden reality. The distinction between apparent and hidden reality is made by drawing inference of a set of observations which reciprocate with a premise to begin investigation. The premise does not necessarily yield fruitful results; it is an assumption to work on. Holmes moves from specific details to general argument and from general to specific. Under these rules of inductive and deductive reasoning, detective should not have an in-depth knowledge but sufficient to prove his argument on rational ground. Following the same line of argument, Umberto Eco constructs his postmodern detective fiction on inductive and deductive reasoning. Eco commences his most famous text The Name of the Rose by highlighting the significance of inductive and deductive reasoning. In the beginning of the text, William of Baskerville and Adso identifies the breed of the horse without even seeing it ones. Adso and the cellarer of Melk monastery are curious to know how Baskerville identifies the breed of the horse. Baskerville elucidates that he reads the signs of nature and relate them to his observational knowledge. Baskerville employs analytical deductive reasoning to ascertain the breed of horse by reading the marks left on the ground. Baskerville is not an expert yet profound reader to understand the difference between an apparent and hidden reality. Baskerville does not recollect the name of Aristotle’s second book, reflecting his loose end. Eco does not develop Baskerville a perfect figure having every kind of knowledge. Baskerville gains knowledge through observation, induction, deduction, and rationality.

 Umberto Eco: Rethinking of History and Fiction (Century Publication)

 History give an access to unknown past through narrative structure scaffolding on facts and manuscripts drawn from achieves. These manuscripts and detailed accounts corroborate with ruined archeological sites with inscriptions and arts. Thus, history represents rational and objective truth that answers to all the queries of people about the past.  What happens when a fiction writer chooses stories and characters from history? If a fictional story is based on a historical incident and characters, what is the difference between fiction and history? Does the reader not find himself cheated? What stand does the reader take with respect to fiction and history? These questions inform about the substitutive nature of history and fiction that have infiltrated into each other territories. Does it really obliterate the difference?   The questions become easier to answer if we define history and fiction in their respective territories. In fact, neither history is fictitious nor fiction is history; they do not pose a challenge to each other only inform about narrative structure and their representation through language.

The debate on the substitutive nature of history and fiction becomes important when I read Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, which is drawn from a manuscript, narrating a story of monastery from the fourteenth century. The manuscript is based on a real incident and Eco employs its content to write the book incorporating real characters and organizations. He sheds light on the problems people faced owing to their religious positions, and how science proved detrimental to religion.  The book exhibits the significance of rational thinking and theory of deduction (primarily used by Sherlock Holmes) to access knowledge. The study has discovered that history is a source of knowledge about the past which uses scientific methods as a detective employs to solve a mystery.

Lastly, the study tries to find answers to important questions – how history resurrects in the present? How past is always present?  What are the mediums of past re-emergence in the present?  These questions are significant in view of the fact that history is written in the present. It lacks the pastness of past rather a present of the past. We get the answers to all these questions in Umberto Eco’s essay – “Towards a New Middle Ages” that explains the past never dies; it revisits the present though in different form.

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