Details

<p>Acknowledgement ix </p> <p>Note on References x </p> <p>Introduction 1 </p> <p><b>1 Form, Interpretation and the Open Work 6</b></p> <p>On form and interpretation: from Croce to Pareyson 6</p> <p>Art and rationality 10</p> <p>The appearance of Opera aperta 15</p> <p>The poetics of the open work 18</p> <p>Beyond ‘openness’ 23 </p> <p><b>2 A Critical View of Culture: Mass Communications, Politics and the Avant-garde  28</b></p> <p>The role of the avant-garde 29</p> <p>Mass communications and theories of mass culture 37</p> <p>Television and semiotic guerrilla war 43</p> <p>Openness and structure 47 </p> <p>3 Introducing the Study of Signs 54</p> <p>Signals and sense 55</p> <p>Ambiguity, self-reflexivity and the aesthetic message 64</p> <p>The critique of iconism 67</p> <p>Some provisional conclusions on the aesthetic message 69 </p> <p><b>4 A Theory of Semiotics 76</b></p> <p>From La struttura assente to A Theory of Semiotics 76</p> <p>Communication, code and signification 81</p> <p>Sign and sign-function 83</p> <p>Sign production, iconism and the aesthetic message (again) 90 </p> <p><b>5 Semiotics Bounded and Unbound 100</b></p> <p>The boundaries of semiotics 102</p> <p>The dynamics of semiosis 111 </p> <p><b>6 Theory and Fiction 120</b></p> <p>Readers and worlds Texts 120 </p> <p><b>7 Secrets, Paranoia and Critical Reading 145 </b></p> <p>8 Kant, the Platypus and the Horizon 162 </p> <p>Notes 171 </p> <p>Select Bibliography 184</p> <p>Index 193  </p>

"It is a full, clear and authoritative account of Eco's work, with an emphasis on his development as a theorist and in particular his semiotic theory. But it includes a lively discussion of Eco's novels, which teases out their links with the theory most effectively. It shows the remarkable range and coherence of Eco as a writer, and is notably interesting on the ways in which his ideas have evolved in response to a changing cultural environment. Rich in details, cool, well-paced and incisive, it provides an excellent introduction to, as well as a sympathetic critique of, Eco the thinker." <i>David Robey, Department of Italian Studies, Reading University</i> <p>"This wonderfully lucid and thorough exposition of Eco's major works will be indispensable to scholars and students alike. Michael Caesar explores the interconnectedness of the 'theoretical' and 'narrative' writings with analytical rigour, balancing appreciation with careful criticism. Caesar makes brilliant use of his own reading of the works to discuss the 'role of the reader', showing the limits as well as the possibilities in Eco's approach to texts." <i>Robert Lumley, Director of the Centre for Italian Studies, University College, London</i></p>

<b>Michael Caesar</b> is Professor of Italian and Head of Italian Studies at the University of Birmingham.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the work and thought of Umberto Eco - one of the most important writers in Europe today. While Eco became world-famous with his best-selling novel <i>The Name of the Rose,</i> his writings have been influential in many fields for several decades. <br /> <p><br /> </p> <p>Caesar retraces the development of Eco's thought and its impact on literary studies, aesthetics, philosophy and semiotics. He shows how, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Eco elaborated his theory of art, bringing together medieval aesthetics, the modernist avant-garde and his interest in the mass media. He discusses Eco's attempts to synthesize a general theory of signification and communication which would embrace both popular and mass culture - attempts which culminated in <i>A Theory of Semiotics.</i><br /> </p> <p>Caesar also examines Eco's emergence as a novelist with the publication of <i>The Name of the Rose</i> in 1980 and the novels that followed it, and explores Eco's theories of reading and interpretation which take shape between <i>The Role of the Reader</i> and <i>Six Walks in the Fictional Woods.</i> The book concludes with an analysis of the themes addressed in Eco's most recent work, <i>Kant and the Platypus.</i><br /> </p> <p>Wide-ranging and up to date, this engaging study will appeal to students of literature, philosophy and cultural studies, and to anyone who wants a clear introduction to one of Europe's most stimulating and original intellectuals.</p>

GB