Institute of General Semantics

UMBERTO ECO TAKES SEMIOTICS TO THE MASSES

Author(s): Clinton Hale
Source: ETC: A Review of General Semantics, Vol. 68, No. 3 (July 2011), pp. 255-263
Published by: Institute of General Semantics
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/42579124
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 UMBERTO ECO TAKES
SEMIOTICS TO THE MASSES
Clinton Hale

Among popular
populartheculture,
culture,Umberto
select group Umberto
Eco, the Italian of literaryofEco,
professor the critics
Semiotics at theItalian who professor have had of an Semiotics impact at upon the
University of Bologna, should be considered one of the most influential of
the past thirty years. Though he has produced a large number of academic
treatises, his enduring fame is centered upon his popular novels in which he
applies his theories in a practical format that can be (and is) enjoyed by the
average reader, allowing him to spread his understanding and viewpoint via
non-academic means. Although he has written several scholarly works, and
continues to produce more, he is able to use the medium of the novel to
connect and communicate with people from all walks of life. Through these
avenues of communication - the academic work and the popular work - Eco
demonstrates the power of symbols in both written form and images. He uses
these symbols to identify with his audience and establishes a wonderful con-
nection with his readers, as discussed by Birgit Eriksson in comments about
Eco's novel The Name of The Rose :

[There is] a connection between the novel and his interests in both popular
culture and medieval history and aesthetics. Nor [is] it difficult to see a con-
nection to his semiotics, and the novel has often been read as 'really' being

Clint Hale is an English instructor and Writing Room Director for Blinn College, in Brenham,
Texas. Always an avid reader, the study of language seemed to come naturally to him. After a
stint in the military, graduating from the University of Texas at San Antonio (BA in English),
and entering into religious mission work, he found himself in Estonia, where he and his family
lived for over three years. The cultural differences awakened his understanding of different world
views and perspectives. It was at that time he discovered Umberto Eco and was overwhelmed by
Eco's language and communication style. Clint later completed his MA in Teaching: English
from the University of West Alabama. In addition, while living in Europe, he completed a Post-
Graduate Certificate in History: Imperialism and Culture with Sheffield-Hallam University
(United Kingdom).

255

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 256 ETC • July 201 1

about something besides

just a fictionalized version

By understanding this
framework in which t
makes application with
can better understand th
academic theories (Erik

Eco's Background and S

Growing up in the 1930
the reign of Benito Mus
in many of his works,
work and study in Semio
Catholic Church to ath
symbols. After first ga
social critic, Eco entered
famous, novel The Name
novels, in addition to c
Literary Criticism.
Semiotics investigates
use to convey feelings,
plifies this sort of stu
Beale, his motivation for

I asked myself if it was

That's where I got the ide
human hands. It was int
there for the first time -
watching the things that
for them.
I was excited about telling the story through metaphor, instead of using
the names. From my semiotic point of view, it was an interesting experience.

In this response, we can see Eco creating a fictional setting in which a

character must learn to recognize and relate to the world around him,
while that world does not fit into any previous environment the character
had experienced. Although the character cannot force that environment
into a preconceived understanding, he must struggle with the type of lan-
guage that should be used to describe the animals. This tension is the result
of a prior determination by a cognitive model (Eco, Serendipities Language

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Umberto Eco Takes Semiotics to the Masses 257

and Lunacy 55). Roberto, the main characte

Before, resorts to calling exotic birds by mor
So parrots might become "colorful doves," for
semiotics is further developed and explained i
Magazine:
For Eco, of course, everything is a potential clue or sign .... "Humans com-
municate with language but also with everything else we do. The books you
own, the way you decorate your house, whether you wear a tie or not are
all signs of something else," he explains. "That's semiotics in a nutshell."
(Israely)

The impetus of Eco's worldview is his belief that most people "would
like that our language was a transparent tool by which we really understand
the nature of things" (Beale). It is also important to keep in mind that Eco
refers to symbols as "anything that can be used to tell a lie" (quoted in
Streeter).

The Importance of the Reader

At the very foundation of Eco's writing is the fact that the attempt to under-
stand, from the reader's perspective, is paramount. He was considered a fol-
lower of the Reader Response critical school earlier in his career, before
moving into Semiotics. It is apparent that he approaches Semiotics from a
Reader Response-influenced perspective. His book on interpretation, The Open
Work, advocates "the active role of the interpreter in the reading of texts ..."
(Eco, "The Author and his Interpreters"). Yet Eco does not accept the possibi-
lity that there are an infinite number of interpretations, or Hermetic semiosis,
for any given text, though there may well be many. He believes that to allow
for infinite interpretations reduces the world to a linguistic phenomenon, which
robs language of "communicative power" (Eco, The Limits of Interpretation
27). In this sense, he appears to be more associated with the Reception
Aesthetic school of thought.
Eco's focus on the reader is reminiscent of Michel Foucault: "This fore-
word should perhaps be headed 'Directions for Use.' Not because I feel that
the reader cannot be trusted - he is, of course, free to make what he will of
the book he has been kind enough to read. What right have I, then, to sug-
gest that it should be used in one way rather than another?" (ix). That Eco
has this same interpretation is evident when he claims that the empirical
author of a text is unimportant and should perhaps even die, so as to not
disrupt the actual text {Postscript to The Name of the Rose 7).

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258 ETC • July 2011

According to Eco's a
[t]he words you are r
themselves is not as im
which they stand; the
As a semiotician, Umb
you able to arrive at th
and make sense of th
patient's body trying t
words and interpret me
cess are you able to do

Understanding the im
of Eco's writings. Gran
have a true purpose, o
which the reader can d
place final interpret
make interpretations b
tion is a product of th

Interplay of Morals a
In spite of, or perhap
his writings, Eco him
believe that the who
terrible by our own m
ing truth" (Eco, quo
"have a common noti
constraint" (Eco and
driving himself mad.
play between morals
In that novel, the nar
his youth and conside
the help of a young
become involved and
the opportunity to s
the horn of the unic
debauchery and Baud
that a reader (and Eco
It appears at first gl
to attract a unicorn.
not pure. Baudolino

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Umberto Eco Takes Semiotics to the Masses 259

did attract a unicorn, just not the one she

attracted by her purity, and acting as the unic
But he took joy in that destruction. The virgin
reader can assume that she will attract more "unicorns" in the future. So in
fact, is purity to be considered noble? Baudolino doesn't seem to care. The
reader may or may not, depending upon the worldview through which the
events are interpreted. Is virginity something to be cherished? Again, it
depends upon the reader. Was Baudolino a villain for deflowering the
young maiden? One interpretation will argue that it shows the poverty of
his value system. Another will proclaim him a virile champion. Yet another
will decide that he was an innocent youth who got carried away.
An important consideration in this regard is the use of the unicorn as a
symbol. Traditionally, the unicorn was a noble animal, symbolizing chastity
or faithfulness. In Roman Catholic symbolism, the unicorn is even compared
to the Passion of the Christ and relates to his relationship with the Virgin
Mary, hence the need for a virgin to catch one. At first glance, Baudolino's
viewpoint would seem to be this very interpretation of faithfulness and
purity. Yet by his actions, he turns the meaning on its head and apparently
adopts an earlier pagan symbolism, where the unicorn represents a beguiled
lover. So what is Eco's meaning? Following his normal procedure, he leaves
the meaning to the reader, allowing the particular worldview of the reader
to interpret the symbol. Again, while there may be a limit to the number of
interpretations, that number is very large in Eco's viewpoint.
Another common theme to the work of Eco is the concept of "the Other."
He writes about this during his debate with Martini where this "Other" is
juxtaposed with traditional religiosity (89-102). "The Other" represents some-
one or something not from within the "group." They are viewed as dangerous
and frightening. Eco endeavors to strip away that distrust and fear and make
"the Other" simply "Another." The Island of the Day Before again provides a
helpful example. Roberto, after being shipwrecked on an abandoned ship
(certainly fitting in an Eco novel - what are the limits on that symbolism?),
discovers that there is another person living on the ship - the Other. Roberto is
terrified of this being, yet is convinced that they are mortal enemies and the
Other must be dealt with in no uncertain terms. He eventually discovers that
the Other is really a sickly old man in need of care, which Roberto promptly
provides. By doing so, Eco provides another glimpse into his own views
regarding morals, or at least one possible interpretation of them. He may desire
to leave the final interpretation to the reader, but he makes it easy to see that
removing the concept of "the Other" is important.

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 260 ETC • July 2011

The Use of Images Ra

Eco's prevalent themes
of Semiotics. His purp
meaning supplied by th
works to date, none exe
of Queen Loana. In thi
to recreate his childho
and pictures, while liste
pictures, drawings, boo
spersed throughout th
move beyond that of
Although the novel its
Baudolino), it shows his
through various medi
the protagonist repre
himself into this book
his previous novels. On
connection between th
tions with Eco's life do
in The Mysterious Flam

Eco as Author

It is in this area of interaction between author and reader that an important

area of study emerges. The author's presentation of self, or the ethos, is neces-
sary for readers to take the presented material seriously. As a reader
approaches a text, whether it is a novel or an academic treatise, the credibility
of the author is important (Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and Walters 56). Cicero
believed that via ethos, the author could win the audience's good will by a
presentation of "favorable character, principles, and conduct" (Johnson 104).
In Eco's case, his academic credentials help in his scholarly works, but in his
fictional writing he endeavors to present a certain reality that links author and
reader. Very often, his characters represent various incarnations of himself.
He has explicitly stated that his novel The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana is
semi-autobiographical. His use of images is closely related to his own childhood
and his perceptions of it. In fact, when asked which of his fictional characters
he would most like to meet in person, he replied, "To meet? But they are all
around me and we chat every day ..." (Interview with Umberto Eco).
Eco's attention is normally focused upon the reader of a work and the
signs that are within the writing. However, he does address the author on

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Umberto Eco Takes Semiotics to the Masses 261

occasion. In his short book Six Walks in the Fict

habits of the writer are brought into focus on oc
with what the author does NOT say in a work. F
reader to do much of the work of interpreting a
he does rely upon the author to provide the necessa
book regularly brings attention to the practice of t
nication with the reader is enhanced. He uses th
symbolize a narrative text. The reader is to find h
the "wood," as there are no developed paths. Yet
struct of the author. The author has some amount of control over the
"wood" and can influence the reader's reaction in some respects (3-7).
The use of genre signals is a key method of this interaction between
author and reader. Whether the signal is "Once upon a time ... "to introd
a fairy tale, or "Call me Ishmael. Some years ago ... I thought I would s
about a little ... "to indicate a sweeping epic of the sea like Moby Dick,
author can help the reader make certain assumptions about the text, ther
limiting the possible expectations the reader might theoretically have. T
author and reader develop a partnership of sorts, where one nudges and
other follows the nudge.
Eco indicates that there are several layers of "author" to a work and
spends considerable time discussing the "model author," which should n
be identified as the person who actually wrote the story - at least not
every respect. In some places, this model author might be only seen as
trace, whereas in others it might be considered a style. Eco refers to t
model author as "It" (Six Walks In The Fictional Woods 14). Yet "It"
style are not synonymous but are analogous. "It" serves as a guide to th
reader to provide a strategy for navigating the created world of the sto
The actual author (who penned the story) projects himself or herself in
the text via words and/or images that connect with the reader and serv
"It." The "model author" is "the voice, or the strategy, which confound
the various presumed empirical authors, so that the model reader can't h
becoming enmeshed in such a catoptric trick" ( Six Walks In The Fictio
Woods 20).
There are a myriad of potential approaches in writing to help this ethos
be projected and received. The use of humor has been traditionally used to
create a bond between writer and reader (Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz, and
Walters 59-60). Eco often uses humor in his novels. Admittedly, the humor
involved doesn't tend toward the current American slapstick or absurdity-
based comedy but is normally more restrained and European-like, focusing

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 262 ETC • July 2011

upon wit, word play

being "comic" (which
define "comic" as bei
Woods 4). Nevertheless
tify with the author a
lism of the story ca
writing shows that E
humor with un-tran
events, and expects h
show that he is an ed
that, by either learni
clues to learn enough
any event, he has con
text in an intentional

Conclusion

Perhaps that is Eco's greatest achievement - the one that sets him apart from
the majority of theoreticians. He does not reside simply in academic tomes, but
popularizes his theories in novels acceptable to the average reader, prompting
the reader to intentionally engage the symbols and text. The author's frame-
work is interpreted in a meaningful way, enriching the reader.
Yet Eco has not left the world of academia, either. He continues to revise
and develop his theories in scholarly works. Although he is more famous for
his fiction to the general public, he has written many books on theory,
opinion, critique, and more. He truly has one foot in the University Hall and
one in the Living Room. He endeavors to make Semiotics accessible to every-
one by demonstrating his views within his books - not a bad legacy.

Works Cited

Beale, Theodore. "Deep Eco," Umberto Eco: Porta Ludovica (December 12,
1996), http://voxday.blogspot.com/2006/12/interview-with-umberto-eco
.html (Accessed February 23, 2010).
Eco, Umberto. Baudolino. Trans, by William Weaver (New York: Mariner,
2003). Print.
Eco, Umberto. Five Moral Pieces. Trans, by Alastair McEwen (New York:
Harcourt, Inc., 2001). Print.
Eco, Umberto. Postscript to The Name of the Rose. Trans, by William
Weaver (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983). Print.

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Umberto Eco Takes Semiotics to the Masses 263

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