THE PRAGUE CEMETERY

[Mighara Sovmadhi]

Maybe I shouldn't bring it up as I've yet to finish it, and if anyone here's read it and knows all of what happens... But so far, it seems like an odd sort of prequel to Foucault's Pendulum.

And did anyone who read The Island of the Day Before get the impression that this book might've been a major inspiration for LOST? Or that The Name of the Rose influenced House of Leaves (a labyrinth, the narrator periodically lapsing into these trance-like waves of poetic description...)?

[aliantha]

Prague Cemetery is on my to-read list. I've read a couple of Eco's other books and enjoyed them.

[Avatar]

Dunno about House of Leaves, but I liked Name of the Rose. Foucault's Pendulum too, for that matter.

--A

[lucimay]

Maybe I shouldn't bring it up as I've yet to finish it, and if anyone here's read it and knows all of what happens... But so far, it seems like an odd sort of prequel to Foucault's Pendulum.

And did anyone who read The Island of the Day Before get the impression that this book might've been a major inspiration for LOST? Or that The Name of the Rose influenced House of Leaves (a labyrinth, the narrator periodically lapsing into these trance-like waves of poetic description...)?

well i haven't read the prague cemetary, nor the island of the day before, and i remember beginning foucult's pendulum but nothing else so i think i didn't read the whole thing. i did read the name of the rose many many years ago and remember liking it but i don't think i've read any eco since.
and having read both house of leaves and name of the rose, i can't see the comparison myself, but like i said, it's been many years.

it wouldn't surprise me to find out, however, that mark danielewski had read eco, or that lieber, abrams, and lindelof may also have read eco. in fact i'd say it's highly likely considering the kind of educations all the mentioned authors have under their belts (sarah lawrence, nyu, yale, berkeley, etc).

so tho i understand the corellations you've made in their respective works, i wouldn't say without actual confirmation (from the authors) that i think the works are directly derivative, except to say that we're all "walking in a dead man's shoes" to some extent whenever we write. don't you think?

[wayfriend]

Read Pendulum several times. Read Island twice that I can think of. Rose, of course, it was actually assigned in college. So I shall have to add Prague Cemetary to my list.

I can't see any connection to Lost in Island of the Day Before. Okay, it's an island. But there are lots of connections to The Baroque Cycle, in a similar way as Pendulum is connected to The DaVinci Code. A lot of the same thematic material, expressed in more detail, but in a dryer less entertaining read.

The only trouble is Eco's digressions are a bit dry for my taste. He's clearly going after a "literary fiction" category (luci knows of which I speak) and it comes at the expense of being a good mystery or conspiracy theory book. So his books can be misses for me.

BTW, recently finished Brown's Lost Symbol, which is as good as any of his other books. He, for one, has no hang ups trying to be "literary".

[lucimay]

yes wayfriend, exactly how i found eco. a bit dry. and yes, definitely going for the "literary" category! i thought name of the rose was quite good and made me want to read more eco but foucalt's pendulum didn't do it for me at all. you guys let me know if prague cemetery is any good. i'd be up for giving him another shot.

by the way, house of leaves totally creeped me out.

[aliantha]

I missed House of Leaves, and I agree with you guys that Eco is dry, and -- dare I say it? -- pedantic at times. I tend to skim his long philosophical digressions. The last time we had this conversation, I think it was Av who said that the philosophical digressions were among his favorite parts of Eco's books. So to each his own, I guess....

[Avatar]

yes wayfriend, exactly how i found eco. a bit dry.

Well, he's a semiotician first, which might account for it. I thought Rose was a good mystery though.

--A

[peter]

Just spotted this thread and have read both Foucaults Pendulum and The Prague Cemetary. Yes - there are definite 'echo's' of the former in the latter. I think much of this has to do with Eco's enjoying the theme of conspiracy as a fun place to be stirring around in. There are significant differences; in FP the guys effectively create the false conspiracy that leads to their demise, in the latter we are seeing [through Eco's prism] the conspiratorial events that lead to the brutal anti-semitism of the C.20 - but there is in both books that vague grey conspiracy feel that hangs over all .....well.....conspiracy, true or false, and that is often responsible for the actual blurring of the boundry between the two.

[peter]

Did anybody get to read The Prague Cemetary in the end. I've just finished my second reading of it and would be into comparing notes. In case not it might be worth at least pointing out that this book is by no means as 'digression' faceted as Eco's other works. I agree with the reviewer who said it is by far his best work since the Name of The Rose [and I think possibly better]. It's a great rip-roaring read spread across the second half of nineteenth century Europe and fascinating to me, not least becauss a couple of months ago I was stood in the very Prague Cemetary to which the title refers!

[Avatar]

Better than the Name of the Rose? High praise, will have to keep an eye out for it.

--A

[michaelm]

I've read Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum, but haven't picked up either of them for years. Might check this out.

[peter]

What I like is the way the book almost effortlessly teaches you about a very interesting period of European history. It's shorter than TNOTR with less digression [though I've never had much problem with digressions in books - Hugo's in Les Mis were actually the bits I liked best] and mired in the grubby world of anti-semitic conspiracy theory [Protocols et al]. Eco has said he set out to create the worst villain that literature has ever seen and it may be said that he has suceeded; Simonini has (unlike Covenant or Cugal) nothing likeable about him at all [well - he does like good food]. Well worth a look on e-bay I'd say.

[Mighara Sovmadhi]

Worst villain ever? Well, that's a tall claim, though I don't expect rank dishonesty/conceit from someone like Eco. Then again, I'm not familiar with many non-fantasy villains...

[aliantha]

I did finish the whole book, peter, and I agree that it's very good -- and with not nearly as many sidetracks as some of his other books. And yeah, Simonini doesn't have many redeeming qualities at all....

[michaelm]

[though I've never had much problem with digressions in books - Hugo's in Les Mis were actually the bits I liked best]

I have a copy of Les Miserables that has two such chapters placed in an appendix at the back of the book as the editor thought that they didn't need to be read to enjoy the book. It's not a big deal I guess, but it's extremely annoying that someone could think that way!

[Orlion]

[though I've never had much problem with digressions in books - Hugo's in Les Mis were actually the bits I liked best]

I have a copy of Les Miserables that has two such chapters placed in an appendix at the back of the book as the editor thought that they didn't need to be read to enjoy the book. It's not a big deal I guess, but it's extremely annoying that someone could think that way!

In his book "Engine Summer", John Crowley called these "Snake's Hands" and in the dedication called them "the best part of a book."

Essentially, consider a twisting road. This is the "Snake" and also representative of the main plot. But a road has alleys or courts or other roads that branch off of the "Snake" (its hands), and unlike the main road, these digressions do not go anywhere.

It is what gives the book character and depth that would otherwise be missing if it focused on the plot and its twists and turns.