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Eleonora Vestrelli

The name of the roses

Umberto Eco

Il Nome della Rosa, a novel published in 1980 by Umberto Eco, is a work that combines elements of historical fiction, crime and philosophical reflection, set in the Middle Ages.

the name of the roses

Historical context:

Eco places the novel in a period characterized by struggles between religious (papacy) and political (empire) powers, heresies, and theological debates.

Place and time:

The story takes place in 1327 in an isolated Benedictine abbey in northern Italy. The setting is typically medieval, with an atmosphere dominated by religious austerity, mysticism and rigid social hierarchies.

The characters represent different aspects of the medieval Church: the Franciscans, with their ideal of poverty; the Benedictines, guardians of tradition; and the Dominicans, symbol of inquisitorial repression.

Monastic figures:

The story revolves around the investigation of the Franciscan William from Baskerville and his novice Adso from Melk about a series of mysterious murders in the abbey. The key to the mystery is linked to the library, a real labyrinth that represents the knowledge and power kept in the monastery.

The plot

Eleonora Vestrelli

The work is not only a historical crime, but also a deep reflection on the complexity of the Middle Ages as an era of cultural ferment, contradictions and innovations..

The Name of the Rose is a deeply medieval work in content, but with a modern narrative structure. The novel is rich in quotations and references to medieval culture, mixed with references to modern literary works.

The book is a tribute to medieval culture, its intellectual complexity and religious and political conflicts of the time.

Links with the Middle Ages