The Interview 2 marks Interviews are necessary. Justify the statement.

Despite the drawbacks of interviews they are supremely serviceable medium of communication. They are an art and a source of truth. We know about our contemporary celebrities and others through their interviews. Do you think Ecos non-fictional writing style is a departure from regular style? Give reasons. Ecos non-fictional writing is not depersonalized and boring like his scholarly works. There is a playful and personal touch in it, which is a departure from his regular style. What did Eco learn at the age of 22 that he pursued in his novels? Eco learnt at the age of 22 that scholarly books should be written by telling the story of research. He learnt that there should be a narrative technique employed in scholarly writing that he later employed when he wrote novels at the age of 50. What makes The Name of the Rose a serious novel? The Name of the Rose is a serious novel as it delves into metaphysics, theology and medieval history inspite of being a detective story at one level. What does Eco think of the readers of his novel The Name of the Rose? Eco thinks that there are readers who dont like trash and like to have difficult reading experiences. It is contrary to what journalists and publishers think. The selling of 15 million copies of his novel The Name of the Rose- a very serious work is testimony that readers dont want easy reading experiences. What do you understand by the expression Thumbprints on his windpipe? Saul Bellow, a famous American novelist comments that some interviews are like thumbprints on his windpipe, meaning thereby, that sometimes the person being interviewed is made to feel very uneasy and uncomfortable during an interview. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed? Celebrity writers despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them. What are some of the positive views on the interviews? There are varied opinions on the functions, merits and methods of the interview. Some positive views are that some might make extravagant claims for it being in its highest form, a source of truth, and in its practice, an art. It is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed? In some primitive cultures, it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody then one is stealing that persons soul. Who, in todays world is our chief source of information about personalities? The chief source of information about personalities in todays world is the interview. It provides us our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.

From the interview taken by Mukund, it is evident that Umberto Eco likes being interviewed. He replies to all his questions willingly and gives detailed views. He appears to be enjoying the interview session, because of his sincerity and cheerfulness at the time of interview. How does Eco find the time to write so much? Umberto, being a positive writer, shares a secret about his writings. He says there are a lot of empty spaces in our lives which are called interstices. He works in empty space and uses this time to write so much. What was distinctive about Ecos academic writing style? A professor has summed up by saying that Eco tells the story of his research including even his trails and errors. He never gets frustrated with his drawbacks but enjoys fully what he is. This quality makes him distinct from others. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar? He considered himself to be an academic scholar first. He claimed to be an academic professor who wrote novels casually, even on Sundays. He identified himself with academic community, while participating in academic conferences. He did not attend meetings of pen-clubs and writers. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose? The Name of the Rose is a serious detective novel which also delves into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. It was probably written at the most appropriate time and dealt with medieval history. Eco says that the reason for its success is a mystery. What is an interview? How has it developed? An interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. In 130 years of its existence, it has become a commonplace of journalism. Everyone, who is a literate today, will have read an interview at some part of their lives. What was the attitude of Lewis Carroll towards interview? Lewis Carroll feared being interviewed. He never consented to grant one. It gave him great satisfaction and amusement in successfully evading interviewers and autograph seekers. What does V.S Naipaul feel about interviews? V.S Naipaul, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001, felt that some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves. Why did Rudyard Kipling refuse to be interviewed? Rudyard Kipling had a condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer. He considered it immoral. He felt that it was like an assault against a person. He also felt it was cowardly and vile. What was odd about Rudyard Kipling interviewing Mark Twain? Kipling had a condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer. He considered it immoral and comparable to an assault against the person. Yet he had perpetrated such an assault on Mark Twain a few years earlier. What are Denis Brians views about interviews?

Denis Brian is of the view that our most vivid impressions about our contemporaries are through interviews. The interviewer holds a position of power and influence as whatever opinions we form is through the questions asked by him. What problem did Roland Barthes face? Did Eco suffer from it too? Roland Barthes was always frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do creative writing one day or another but died before he could attempt it. Umberto Eco on the other hand, felt frustrated as his academic work had a narrative style. What sort of television programmes does Eco watch after dinner and why? After dinner Eco watches light television programmes which relax him. He says he enjoys it and also needs it. He watches Miami Vice or Emergency Room. However, he does not enjoy them all day. Explain I started writing novels by accident. Eco started writing novels at the age of fifty. One day, he had nothing to do so he started writing a novel. He did not find it difficult because probably it satisfied his taste for narration. What has made Umberto Eco popular among the people? Umberto Eco is popular because of his novels which are read by many people. Ten to fifteen million copies of his novel The Name of the Rose were sold. Though he has written over forty academic works, it is his novels that people associate him with. Long questions Opinions about interviews vary considerably. Elucidate. The interview as a technique of reporting has now become so common that there is hardly anyone who may not have read any. Today, innumerable eminent personalities are interviewed each day so views on interviews differ considerably. Celebrities consider themselves as victims and despise it as they feel that it somehow diminishes their standing. They also feel it is an unnecessary invasion of their privacy, just as in the past taking a photographic portrait was considered stealing a persons very soul. V.S Naipaul feels that some people are wounded by interviews had lose a part of themselves. Lewis Carroll was said to have had a just horror of the interviewer that he never consented to be interviewed. Rudyard Kipling refused to be interviewed because it was immoral and considered it an assault, despite having interviewed Mark Twain a few years prior to making this statement. H.G Wells referred to the interviewing ordeal but was a frequent interviewee. He also interviewed Joseph Stalin. Saul Bellow who was a playwright and novelist, considered interviews as thumbprints on his windpipe. In spite of having these drawbacks, many people find this method of reporting as the most reliable and a supremely serviceable medium of communication. Today, our most vivid impression of our contemporaries is through interviews. Denis Brian feels that almost everything reaches us through one man, the interviewer, asking questions to his interviewees. He, therefore, holds an unprecedented position of power and influence. Interviews are also essential for the public because the interviewees are public icons whose thoughts, views and ideas have a profound impact on the common man.

How did Umberto Eco start writing novels? What does Eco feel about being called a novelist? What does he attribute to the huge success of his novel The Name of the Rose? Umberto Eco, basically an academic scholar produced many non fiction works. Till the age of fifty, he did not have even a single novel to his credit. One day having nothing to do, he started writing a novel. He has written only five novels against forty scholarly works. He became spectacularly famous as a novelist after the publication of The Name of the Rose. He considers himself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays. He participates in academic conferences and identifies with the academic community. Eco agrees that The Name of the Rose is a difficult and serious novel. It has proved journalists and publishers wrong. The success of The Name of the Rose has shown that people like serious and difficult reading too. Eco feels the huge success of his novel cannot be only due to the medieval background of the novel as many books have been written on this topic earlier. The huge success is a mystery to him. Eco feels that the novel was probably written at the most appropriate time. If he had written it ten years earlier or later, it may not have been such a success.