The Proverbial Question: The Name of the Rose

DANGER DANGER WILL ROBINSON SPOILERS AHEAD!

If you only want an overview of the story and response to it, check out Part I. This is a continuation of the talk about The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.

"Daytime sleep is like the sin of the flesh: the more you have the more you want, and yet you feel unhappy, sated and unsated at the same time." (136) 

I was feeling the winter blues of the Midwest and this quote is so unfortunately true for me. I'm not a morning person so I'm up most of the night and sleep during the day, then wake up feeling guilty for sleeping the morning away. Enough about me and more about  The Name of the Rose. 

A Brief Description

 William of Baskerville and Adso, a monk and his novice respectively, are invited to a grand abbey to investigate a suspicious death (initially suspected as a suicide, but doubt leads them to believe it was murder) of one of the monks, Adelmo. William of Baskerville has acted as an inquisitor during trials of heresy and crimes against religion so it is supposed he will be able to deduce the murder. Over the course of a week, there are FIVE more deaths under increasingly suspicious circumstances. There is also a religious meeting/debate about enforced poverty (I'm not going to bore you with the details because frankly, I found them unimportant to the murder mystery. Curiosity will lead you if you're interested).

At the center of the investigation is the mysterious labyrinth of a library. Only the librarian is supposed to enter to the library, that houses many books, because it is feared that certain books will unleash knowledge that will corrupt the monks. The books are kept because knowledge is of import and books are sacred (this is a point of dissension in the abbey). The very coded scriptures on the walls and and hidden passage ways meant to dissuade monks from entering piqued some of their interest and caused the events to start. That's basic human nature though; tell someone they can't have something, put obstacles in their way, and it makes them want it more. But it is also human nature to share our thoughts to feel a sense of belonging, community, and influence. 

"Because learning does not consist only of knowing what we must or we can do, but also of knowing what we could do and perhaps should not do." (80)

When the second and third death happens, it is speculated that it is the sign that the Antichrist is coming, as the deaths follow a certain pattern. So William and Adso proceed to follow that trail, which proves to be the wrong trail, even though they come to the right conclusion. The conclusion is one that is introduced in the beginning of the investigation: a group of the monks have a heated debate, where one monk named Jorge vehemently disagrees with the others that Jesus laughed and essentially believes that laughter is the root of all evil. A certain book by Aristotle is brought up by one of the other monks that praises and encourages laughter, but the book is supposed to be lost and Jorge argues that if it hasn't been seen in almost a hundred years, then can it really exist? It turns out that the book does exist and Jorge has been discouraging interest in it. Once too many people inquire about it, he sneaks into the library and slathers it with a poison before it is soon after stolen. The pages stick so the reader licks his fingers and therefore the poison and shortly dies. Three of the six deaths are a result. Adelmo did commit suicide. The herbalist, Severinus, is killed by the librarian, Malachi, because of a passionate jealousy (which is another complicated component of the story). Indeed this story is multi-layered.

There is really no great mystery or other worldly or higher power that leads to the deaths. It is the weakness of their human qualities; curiosity and prohibited carnal relations. I loved this about the book because there was much discussion of how religious people should behave and it shows that everyone is human and overt devotion to a religion can be a downfall. 

"The Antichrist can be born from piety itself, from excessive love of God or of the truth…" (471)

Jorge had a most fascinating philosophy. He believed that laughter would remove fear and fear was a healthy gift from God to instill obedience. I never thought of laughter and fear in relation like that, and while I think that premise is exaggerated, it is in part right. Laughter is said to make anything better and relieve stress and take one's mind off of one's problems.

"And what would we be, we sinful creatures, without fear, perhaps the most foresighted, the most loving of the divine gifts?" (455)

Also, there is the argument of logic as the ultimate determination of truth, which is invalidated because William and Adso thought themselves out of the correct conclusion by presenting too many premises and following the wrong leads, forgetting that you can be misled. This is important because William is dismayed because while he came to the correct conclusion in the end, he got there through by the wrong means.

"The order that our mind imagines is like a net, or like a ladder, built to attain something. But afterward you must throw the ladder away, because you discover that, even if it was useful, it was meaningless." (472)

I loved that the abbey goes up in flames and burns to the ground in the end. It felt like the only fitting conclusion because nothing could ever be the same there.

I bought the book from Amazon and if you feel so inclined, the book was turned into a movie starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater and you can view it on Amazon as well. Until next Tuesday, happy reading.

What's in a Name: The Name of the Rose

The second book of my Unfinished Business saga is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Here's a little background on my relationship with this book: It was a required reading when I was a junior in high school (Lord knows why they would make teenagers read this difficult book). We weren't even required to read half the book; the teacher gave us a few passages to read and we had to analyze one or we could pick our own. I wrote about a passage where Adso, the narrator, ruminated on a passionate and illustrious depiction of Jesus and heavenly and hellish creatures on the doors of the church. The passage goes on several pages. I received a high grade for the paper and my teacher encouraged me to read the book in full in my own time. A few years later, the book was on sale on Amazon so I bought it in hopes of finally reading it. I didn't make it even to the passage from before.

It has taken me eight long years to read the book from beginning to finish. But by God, I've done it! I legit felt like Rocky at the top of the stairs. I may have done my own victory dance.

It is by far the hardest book I've read in my life. Sometimes, I have to spoil the end of a movie or book for myself just as motivation to get through dull parts because often times, the movie or book is great in its entirety but lacking in certain sections. This is what happened with The Name of the Rose and I'm glad I did it. Also, I was able to pick up on the foreshadowing then and foreshadowing always feels like a nod between the author and reader.

I'm surprised I liked the book as much as I did. It is a bit of a historical fiction about a murder mystery involving monks at an abbey in Northern Italy in 1327. Not exactly my normal read. I like books that capture my attention from the very beginning, and I thought this book would do that because of the opening, however, it was a slow build of a book that didn't completely hold my attention until the middle and even then, it wavered a little afterward. Now the scene that interested me was as Adso and his mentor, William of Baskerville, are climbing the hill to the abbey and they encounter a group of monks and servants in disarray. Through observation and deductive reasoning, William is able to discern that they are looking for the abbot's prized horse and which way the horse went, to the amazement of the group, Adso, and the reader. I thought I was in for some impressive sleuthing, but in fact, the investigation into the murders (yes, plural, a lot of them actually) became a confused mess for William and Adso and a dizzying read for the reader. The mystery was muddled by extraneous religious affairs of the past and an ongoing debate that had little to do with the mystery. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought the prose was smart in creating misdirection about who the murderer was and the conclusion of the truth was clever.

So here's a couple of my notes:

I have a great deal of respect for the research and attention to detail and world building. That being said, the religious debates and history was way too long and extensive. The utility of the details was to show how it trickled down to the abbey and the monks, and perhaps it may have had more of an impact if I cared about the religious unrest of the time, but I do not.

My favorite parts were the true mystery of it all, like when William and Adso got lost in the labyrinth of the forbidden library and the reveal of the murders and the conclusion.

Now this is only part one. Of course, a book that caused me so much mental power and endurance requires two parts. On Thursday, I will talk more in-depth about the actual story. Until then, happy reading! 

A Good Man is Hard to Find

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Reading this story, I realized I block out the racist undertones in Flannery O'Connor stories. Probably because unfortunately, it is of the time and if I don't gloss over it, I will be upset by it. So moving along, A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery  O'Connor is a good segue to The Name of the Rose, which I'll talk about next week, because they share similar themes. A family has an ill-fated encounter with an escaped convict named The Misfit.

This is a story that perplexes me. It feels like it's missing details for all of the characters. Bailey, his mother, his wife, and three children drive from Georgia to Florida for a summer vacation. The grandmother seems to be the root character; all of the action surrounds her. She also plays a bit of an antagonist. She sneaks her cat on the trip and complains about going to Florida instead of Tennessee, where she wanted to go. She seems like a nuisance to the family, which reminds me of the mother from Everything that Rises Must Converge. However, it isn't clear why the mother is a nuisance. All the reader gets is how the family reacts to her, which I read as indifferent or mildly annoyed.

It may be harsh or rash, but I blame the family's demise on the grandmother. She insists on seeing a house from her childhood, but realizes she has confused the location and in her confusion she disturbs her cat, who causes the car accident. Then, she waves down a car full of murders (of course she couldn't have known this, so I'm not faulting her here) and then she identifies The Misfit (this is where I place blame). Even The Misfit says it would have been better if she didn't identify him. The two henchmen swiftly kills the husband and son, then and wife and daughter and baby, which I found it odd that the family didn't put up a fight. The grandmother is the only one that pleads for her life. The details we learn about The Misfit wasn't enough for me and the discussion of Jesus seemed underdeveloped.

The line that sticks with me is "'She would have been a good woman,' The Misfit said, 'if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.'" When I read that, I felt like Kanye West asking Kobe Bryant "What the $%*# does that mean?"

The story can be found here. Check it out and let me know what you think. Happy reading until next time! Next week is two parts on The Name of the Rose. 

They is: Bullet in the Brain

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I chose this story because it not only goes with the unfinished business series and the theme of murder with the next short story and The Name of the Rose, but also because this is one of my favorite short stories.

The title and plot of the story may seem ominous but it's really not about the events that unfold; it's more about the main character, Anders. Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff is a short read, but it's one of those that I admire for packing so much life into the story. Here's a short summary: Anders is shot in the head after he antagonizes a bank robber during a robbery (trust me, it goes more interesting than this. You should really read it for yourself). The rest of the story is what doesn't and ultimately what does come to Anders' mind as the bullet travels through his brain.

I really like how the story is written because you get the details of the character's life and therefore, more about who he is as a person, outside this isolated but pivotal moment in his life. What Anders doesn't think about is just as important as what he thinks about while dying. I made a connection between what leads to Anders' death and his last thought. Anders dies making fun of the bank robber's speech, but his last thought is from his childhood, the innocence of a grammatical error, in which he took delight. It reminds me how the main character's last word "Rosebud" in Citizen Kane is meant to be in remembrance of a simpler time. Also I like how the events of his life are described non linear because our memory does not operate in sequence.

Bullet in the Brain is one of those stories you want to read again and again for how well-crafted it is. I have immense respect for the piece; I was interested in the main character and what was revealed about his life and personality in a short space. It can be found here and here. 

Break Out: The Yellow Wallpaper

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The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an eye opening story about a woman that goes into a brief psychosis after having a baby. The woman was diagnosed with what is commonly known now as postpartum depression and prescribed rest and limited stimulation from any work. The story is written like journal entries from the narrator, which she had sneak to write. The story is actually semi-biographical, as the author went through a similar ordeal after she had a baby.

Women of the late 1800s suffered from too little stimulation while women of today suffer from too much stimulation. Working women are only granted twelve weeks of unpaid maternity leave, through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). This can't be enough time for a mother to spend with her newborn baby. In addition, with the leave being unpaid, many women can't afford to take the whole leave and miss three months of pay. Many people in general are beginning to feel the effects of over-stimulation from working long hours for unfair wages in jobs that they don't like. The disruption of the American Dream and middle class ambitions is the result of businesses not providing raises to meet the increase of living costs.

My point being, times have changed and we have new social issues to tackle, yet how they affect us has remained the same. Thankfully, how we deal with these issues have changed somewhat. Postpartum depression is at least a widely recognized disease that is researched. The story has a hand in bringing to attention the inadequacies of the treatment of postpartum depression and general depression in women. The men, who are doctors, in the story are supportive, but condescending about the woman's condition. She tries to tell them about how she feels, but they act as if they know best and discounts what she says, instead encouraging their agenda. In turn, the woman hides her feelings and I think this is what furthers her psychosis. Her obsession with freeing the women from the yellow wallpaper reflects her need to be free and she eventually sees herself as a woman broken free from the wallpaper.

The story can be found here or here. Happy reading everyone, until next time. 

Beauty, Youth, Intrigue Go On... The Picture of Dorian Gray

What better way to start this reading challenge than with books I've started in the past but never completed.

I attempted to read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde a couple of years ago while I was unemployed. I had just graduated from college and thought-why not read a classic while I'm looking for a job. I got halfway through the book before I put it down for another (I read books one at a time), which is rare for me. Normally, if I get halfway through the book and still dislike it, I would suffer through the last half, even if it is slow going. It wasn't that I didn't like The Picture of Dorian Gray. In reading it again, I remembered that the middle of the story was so flat with useless description and that the rest of the story was not as well paced and full of action as the first half. I liked the first half of the book because most of the action and central ideas unfolded in lengthy, purposeful dialogue. However, the second half of the book is almost all details like a summary of Dorian Gray's life.

Nevertheless, I was excited to read the book again. During the first failed reading, I was taken in by the critique of beauty and indulgence and youth. It is a dangerous story to read when you're young because you could be swayed to believe that youth and indulgence is all that matters as indulgence is a symptom of youth. We can see the negative ramifications of all three in some of our young celebrities, which is more of an indictment on society than it is on them.

Recently, I read on Wiki that Basil was how Oscar Wilde saw himself, Lord Henry Wotten was how the world perceived him, and Dorian was how he wanted to be (or arguably how everyone wants to be). After reading his background, the comparison is apt. It also explains the in-depth characterization of all three. All of the characters are unchanged by the end. Lord Henry still has amoral views that he shares with wild abandonment and finds it entertaining to influence others. Dorian Gray is still corrupted and selfish; even in his attempt to be good, he is ruthless. He shows little remorse for his crimes and the effects of his egotistical deeds. In the end, he still cares more about his own soul.

I'm glad I finished the story. All in all, it is a good book to read for well written prose. I liked the action cues in the dialogue, such as a character saying don't look at me like that or I can see you're annoyed, instead of using adjectives outside of the dialogue like what is commonly seen. I'm also glad I started with this book to get myself accumulated to classic writing. Also, I wondered how the rule that Dorian Gray couldn't see his painting came to be in modern films because it is an important element in the story. The painting gives Dorian Gray pleasure in the beginning as he sees how his decadence poisons his soul.

I actually read this book for free through Project Gutenberg. It is in the public domain. It's a great non-profit and you can find thousands of free classic books and short stories. Donate if you can. You can friend me on Goodreads to see what I'm currently reading and the books I have on my challenge list (under books I should read) so far.

Short Story Spotlight: Everything that Rises Must Converge

First, I must say that is such a great title. I love the title more than anything. Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor references a work called Omega Point by Pierre Tielhard de Chardin: "Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge." (Source) Learning this makes me love the title even more and explains the sentiment of the story better.

Everything that Rises Must Converge is the story of Julian, a recent college graduate who is an aspiring writer but instead sells typewriters. He has begrudgingly agreed to accompany his mother to her exercise class at the YMCA because she is afraid to travel alone on the bus at night since integration has been introduced to their city. Julian has such a deep disdain for his mother because of her bigoted views and refusal to change them. She asserts that she knows who she is and that is all that matters. Julian also dislikes her for playing the martyr in his life; she has an elevated sense of self that does not match her circumstances because she thinks it's "fun to struggle" so that one can look back on the hard times with a hearty laugh when one has moved past them. The mother shares camaraderie with two other women on the bus in her views of black people before a black man comes on to the bus and then soon after a black woman and her son.

It is unfortunate that race problems are present today with certain people refusing to acknowledge the fact racism still exists. The story shows that racism exists in an elevated sense of self and lack of compassion and understanding and small moments in daily life that balloon to larger issues. The idea black people are dangerous and should be controlled influences how people interact on public transportation and in stores and on the street at night and is the same intrinsic thought internalized by police officers who shoot innocent black people.

I love when a story can have different meanings depending on what's going on in your life. As Julian says, "Knowing who you are is good for one generation only." Regrettably during this read, I saw myself in the jaded recent college graduate, Julian, who had learned too much about life through observation  rather than living. The story was also a reminder that the relationship between history, present, and future in the world has similarities and change. The story was published in 1965, yet ideas of the world being a mess and young people just needing time in the story can be heard today. I just realized that young people don't need time to change themselves all the time; sometimes they just need time for the world to change and catch up to them.

A PDF of the story can be found here. Hope you enjoy it!

Short Story Spotlight: The Wife of His Youth

I'm currently reading The Picture of Dorian and it is the book I will talk about later (hopefully next week), but since I'm not done with it yet, I'm talking about a short story.

This story was chosen to go along with the upcoming Unfinished Business Series. It is a story I read in college and remembered for its racial themes. The Wife of His Youth was written by Charles W. Chesnutt, a black man born during slavery, though slavery ended when he was 9 years old. The short story is a reflection of racial identity and racial complexity in the Black community after the Civil War. The main character, Mr. Ryder, is a member of a group called The Blue Vein Society, who have appointed themselves the knowledgeable leaders of the Black community. Their supposed purpose is to improve Black lifestyles after the Emancipation, but truly the group is in place to elevate and separate the affluent Black professionals of mixed race from the poorer people of darker skin (only people that have visible blue veins are allowed in). It is an extension of the roles carried out during slavery (Black people of lighter skin given better opportunities than those of darker skin). Mr. Ryder, especially, believes in distancing oneself from the black race in favor for the white race because of the opportunities the latter can offer.

In the course of the story, Mr. Ryder is faced with a conundrum; to acknowledge his past or ignore it to maintain his social standing. I couldn't help but to make parallels between Mr. Ryder and Bill Cosby as I read. To be honest, I'm tired of talking about it and seeing others talk about it. For me, this is no longer about whether or not he has done what he is accused of, because I stand on the side of numerous victimized women, but Bill Cosby being accountable for his actions. Bill Cosby has been rather harsh in his opinion about the black family and youths so let's not idolize the man as we do his lovable television dad counterpart. Bill Cosby is being faced with the same choice of Mr. Ryder; to recognize past actions or ignore them.

But I digress back to the story...

A further description would take away from the simplistic, but moving way the story is told. The pleasure of reading the story is in the buildup and reveal. Initially I loved The Wife of His Youth because of the storytelling. It is the basic story structure done well and in a slightly different order. If you like, you can read the story here. Then come back to this post or email me (my email can be found in the editing services section) and tell me what you thought of it.

Don't forget to check out my editing services and Goodreads to see what's on the reading list. Add me as a friend.

Happy New Year! An Introduction

Today marks the beginning of a new year and reading challenge.

Here's a little background on me:

In 2014, I got my first full-time job after a year of unemployment. I worked at a mortgage company barely making over minimum wage. While I was grateful for the job, I soon realized it wouldn't give me the independence I craved since returning home from college. 2015 was a year of hopefulness and let-downs, stress and depression, and revelation and freedom. A serendipitous add on LinkedIn by a freelance editor, who had graduated from the same college as I, and a well timed "promotion" made me realize that my interests and skills were being wasted and I quit my job in August 2015. I lost myself in a misguided determination to have an "adult" job and be an "adult". I had succeeded in making myself miserable. The only reason why I ultimately quit was because my depression outgrew my fear of unemployment and the unknown.

For the past four months, I've been rediscovering me by doing things that I loved to do but hadn't had the energy or time to do when I worked. I bought a few cookbooks and tried multiple recipes with delicious results. I enjoyed time spent with my boyfriend, family, and friends. Perhaps, most importantly, I've written. Writing has been a passion of mine since I was a child. I participated in a short story writing month, which got me into the habit of writing. Also during this time, I realized what I wanted to do with my skills; edit. I have always had a knack for grammar through attention to detail and being an eager reader and diligent writer. However, I knew that wasn't enough to offer services. So I studied rules of grammar and practiced identifying errors. I also bought a subscription to the Chicago Manual of Style and continue to study. I feel like my life, especially this past year, has led me here.

This blog is to advertise my editing services and discuss the books I'm reading. Please leave comments. As my mother and boyfriend will tell you, I love conversing about the things I learn.

You can friend me on Goodreads to see what I'm currently reading and the books I have on my challenge list (under books I should read) so far.