Umberto Eco: Rethinking History and Fiction

Umberto Eco is a known name who gives a new dimension to postmodern fiction through his famous book The Name of the Rose that has received huge appreciation across the world. Eco is one of the first torch bearers that sparked the discourse on the relationship between history and fiction. Apparent from the preface of The Name of the Rose, he writes the story is derived from a manuscript which encapsulates details of a real incident from the fourteenth century. The incident revolves around a much debated issue – “Whether the Church should give away its wealth?” on which the two sects of Christianity divided. The Franciscans debated on the Poverty of Christ whereas the Dominicans countered them vehemently with their arguments for the punishment given to heretic and unbelievers.

Eco has not only articulated these religious and philosophical issues but also tried to show their sociological and economic impact on marginalized people. Weaving around the themes of history and fiction, Eco’s Foucault’sPendulum, another of his masterpiece, raises the question of how fiction inspired from the history is treated as truth by the reader who takes it substitute of history. This kind of fiction does not challenge the discipline of history rather it brings forth forgotten history.

Umberto Eco: Rethinking History and Fiction analyzes the common ground between history and fiction. The book argues that the two disciplines have their relevance and produce knowledge. The book is a an attempt to understand the ways in which history and fiction intrude into each other territories and open terrains for the reader to grapple with their complexities.

                                                  

Table of Content

I)        Chapter 1– History and Fiction

II)       Chapter 2 – The Name of the Rose: A Study of History and Fiction

III)      Chapter 3 – The Name of the Rose: Knowledge, Detection, Threats, Institutionalization and Interpretation

IV)      Chapter 4 - Foucault’s Pendulum: The Creation of Multiple Histories

V)       Chapter 5 - “Towards of New Middle Ages”: Resurrection of Past in Present

VI)      Conclusion – Eco’ Fictional History and Sensational Fiction

Bibliography

A Sahib's War by Rudyard Kipling

A Sikh soldier Umr Singh, who was a servant of Kurban Sahib wants to go back to his mother country India.  Umr Singh served in the British Army for a long time and now he is old. Although Umr Singh held the position of trooper in the British army, he clung to his Kurban sahib and did all kinds of choruses for him like cooking and other tasks. Kurban Sahib died three months ago. The relationship between Kurbaan Sahib and Umr Singh was so intense and that they broke the ideological differences and became good friends. At one moment, Kurbaan Sahib decided to go back to England but after sometimes he rejoined the contingent of British army. Despite returning to England, Kurban Sahib always remembered his Indian soldiers and when he rejoined the British army he curiously searched for them. Umr Singh and Kurbaan Sahib knowingly got themselves transferred from India to Capetown to become eyewitness of the Boer war.

Kipling advocates that either a nation rules or being ruled; it cannot be ruler and ruled at the same time. It is provocative statement from Umr Singh underscores the glorious era of British rule in South Africa and prestige earned by Englishmen. 

Boer war accounts disseminates across continents via writing records and memoirs of Indian soldiers went into the battle. Mostly the people fighting in the Boer war adopted gorilla techniques pretending to be in peace with white flags on their houses but shooting the English soldiers at night. Farmers, women and children wear soldiers uniform. Untrained people were battling with the British soldiers.

Soldiers Three

Soldiers Three is a collection of stories written between 1882 and 1888 with three major characters – Mulvaney, Learoyd and Ortheris – sharing their personal experiences, adventures, romance, military exercises, mischievousness and pranks. These stories, as such, are not concerned with colonial wars, administrative control, masculinity, chivalry, death and sufferings instead cover the garrison army at rest. His writings evoke feelings and action of soldiers at parade ground or resting in their quarters. Kipling was embarrassed to make war the subject of his writing. He mainly confines to the phases of military life: parades, drills, guardhouses, discipline, alcohol, punishment, training, diseases and homesickness.

Kipling shifts from private life of underdog soldiers in Barracks to regiments battling on the Northwest frontier of India in “The Drum of Fore and Aft.”  It is a story of two young drummer boys Jakin and Lew who shame their army by going into the battlefield against powerful and fanatical Muslim fighters alone.  The regiment is inspired from the courage of two boys and retreat against the enemy. The battle is won but both Jakin and Lew died.     

The Name of the Rose Adapted

According to a report published on Hypable, Umberto Eco’s most famous novel “The Name of the Rose” is adapted into a series to be premiered on TBD 2019. The adaption would be telecasted into the eight episodes. As per the report, the adaptation “could be the most compelling adaptions of 2019.” The novel revolves around the series of murders committed in an Italian monastery which are solved by a monk – William of Baskerville who uses the detective techniques of Sherlock Holmes. In the report of Hypable, it is also said, “resembling a Holmesian feel, there is a labyrinth library complete with a mute librarian poisoned pages, scorpions, locusts and bodies piling up by the day. Grab a copy of the novel before you watch the series........    

“The Captive” from Traffic and Discoveries by Rudyard Kipling

The Captive is a story of a man Laughton Zigler whom the narrator met during his visit to the camp of prisoners caught in the Boer War. Mr. Zigler shares his experiences with the army officers of other nations. He also tells the narrator about his invention of a new gun for which he finds no buyer.  Mr. Zigler is a professional inventor of arms. He has a strong confidence on his inventions and skills. Fortunately, he finds Mr. Van Zyl, a Boer commander, who expresses his interest in Zigler’s invention of new light gun and explosives.

The story then shifts to the fighting between the British forces and South Africans over the rising influence of Britain in South Africa. Mr. Zigler underestimates the potentialities of the Royal British Artilleries and thinks that his invention of new light gun machine can be detrimental to the British forces. However, there are no casualties to the British forces as such from Zigler’s gun.

The British forces imprison Mr. Zigler and Mr. Van Zyl. British commanders question Mr. Zigler of his new invention of light gun and how does it help soldiers in the war. Captain Mankeltow questions Zigler about some specific parts of his gun to find out why it weighs so light. Captain  Mankeltow and the General of the British army disclose that they would like to have this war continued for next six months to train their soldiers and boys. In wake of less area to set up training camps, these small battles on the soil of natives serve the training exercise for soldiers.

“The Captive” is related to Britain’s tough opposition to the South African natives participating in the Boer war. It gives an insight into the unmatched strength of the Royal British Army gaining popularity for recruiting young soldiers and technology upgradation that modernizes arms and ammunitions proved impossibly advanced for opposition soldiers. These small wars turns out to be a training camp for soldiers.

The Prague Cemetery III

In Paris, Simonini begins the business of forging documents. The business operates from a small room located over a junk shop near place Maubert. Not only this, he succeeds in getting the work of forging documents from the French government. So the next thirty years, he proves a potential agent for the French Secret service as he keep checks on the revolutionaries planning to rebel against Napoleon III. He, in fact, gives intelligence to the secret agency when the Paris Commune happens. His engagement with the French secret service earns him a lot of money and wealth. He spends this money to pay the bills and to fulfill his passion for delicious food. However, he always plans to retire from his business of forging documents to a decent pension. While forging, he somehow hatches a plan in which he finds that the Jews are plotting for the domination of world. Simonini gets success in hatching the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion when he learns about the novel – Joseph Balsamo – written by AlexandreDumas. Most of the novels which he forged are written in the form of diary. On one morning, when Simonini wakes up he finds that he has lost his memory. When he looks around, he suspects everything and thinks that something terrible has happened…….. the remaining story is left for readers……..

The Prague Cemetery Part II

During his mission, Simonini finds out that the thousands of red shirts supporters of Garibaldi are students, craftsmen, artisans, professionals of different trades but none of them belong to the community of peasants. Simonini also discovers that though Garibaldi becomes the leaders of protestors and invaded Sicily, he does not believe in social revolution. Simonini meets two Italian patriots – Ippolito Nievo and Nini Bixio – who seems to have possessed some very important documents. Simonini receives an order that he has to destroys those documents in the possession of Nievo. Simonini heads to executes his plans for which he blows up the ship on which Nievo is sailing. In the explosions, hundreds of people died as they drown in the water. Simonini is punished for his deeds and exiled to Paris in France. He reaches the French capital in 1861 and starts his new life in isolation. This is the turning point of the book………continues