Umberto Eco

Abstract

Umberto Eco (b. 1932–d. 2016) was an Italian author and theorist whose contributions to the academic and creative zeitgeists ripple into inter- and multidisciplinary fields including, but not limited to, semiotics, linguistics, communication theory, narrative theory, politics, pop culture, history, and aesthetic theory. Best known for his groundbreaking work surrounding the relationships between language, texts, authors, and audiences, Eco’s theoretical work has prompted a reckoning of modern discourses surrounding interpretation and the rights of readers and authors respectively. Eco’s discursive style is characterized by its emphasis on intertextual ideation—the conceptualization of history, culture, theory, and language as sedimentary accumulations, the combination of which may yield increased and deepened insight into each discipline both separately, and as a coalesced unit. A champion of expressive forms, Eco demolished the false binary between “high” and “low” art forms, recognizing mass media and pop culture as compelling, rich areas of academic pursuit. In this way, Eco’s theoretical and fictional work may also be conceptualized as efforts to demystify and expand the ivory tower frequently associated with the academic and artistic spheres. His works posit the notion that interpretative validity cannot be singularly conferred by virtue of a source’s academic or artistic ethos, but rather both creation and interpretation of work constitutes a living dialogic process wherein meaning is negotiated through complex semiotic communicative systems. As an author, Eco single-handedly crafts a literary world that is as entrancing as it is mysterious. Traversing the boundaries of genre, perspective, reality, fiction, and history, Eco’s literary works are in many ways embodied narrative manifestos of the way Eco views reality—as a kaleidoscopic (and at times, contradictory) ontological mosaic. A totalizing bibliographic account of Eco’s contributions and academia’s responses is nearly impossible. However, the following resources below present several different avenues through which to begin to engage with both his theoretical and creative work. Included below are Eco’s own most notable writings in English translation, as well as a selection of English-language scholarly sources that reflect and respond to Eco. Ultimately, although encapsulating Eco in textual form is in many ways unattainable, these bibliographic entries hope to offer a semblance of a map for (to borrow Joseph Consoli’s metaphor) navigating Eco’s labyrinth.