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From: Iansito
Date: 11/4/99
Time: 12:13:03 AM
Remote Name: 12.78.96.77
It's quite easy to overlook some of the events Eco is describing that occur around the finding and publication of the fictional book. The mention of Soviet troops, as well as the events in Europe at this time, should warn the reader as to the possible thematic significance of the novel. Perhaps it is possible to suggest a correlation between the poverty issue and communism, being essentially an ideology based on communal ownership.
What is more puzzling are the two final paragraphs in this section. How are we to understand the difference between writing "out of commitment to the present, to change the world,"(5) in the late 60's and writing "out of pure love"(5) now? Is there a social relevance between these times in regard to literature and its purpose? Eco also states that this book is "gloriously lacking in any relevance for our day, atemporally alien to our hopes and our certainties."(5) If this is the case, why let the reader know the circumstances of the found book within the context of political events? It seems the 14th century holds some primary and immediate significance to our own. Again, the poverty issue, and in a larger sense, the suppression of knowledge (texts) is a timeless effort. Now, as then, ideological forces oppress certain classes through a distortion and denial of knowledge in order to perpetuate and legitimize their power. This book, then, seems to be a confrontation of these ideas. What the result is, I believe, is up to the reader.