We encourage you to buy and read the full version of Umberto Eco’s book! But if you can’t, due to the Corvid 19 emergency, here’s Chapter 7 of our ‘Riassunto facilitato per studenti di italiano L2, da Francesca Colombo’, which corresponds approximately to pp. 330-463 of the original Italian version.
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Il giorno successivo, durante le preghiere, il monaco erborista Severino si avvicina di soppiatto a Guglielmo: “Devo farvi vedere uno strano libro che ho trovato e che probabilmente…” ma smette di parlare perché il cieco Jorge si avvicina a tentoni.
Guglielmo, proprio questa mattina, deve riunirsi con gli altri rappresentanti e ambasciatori per mediare tra il Papa e l’imperatore. È il motivo per cui è venuto all’abbazia e non può assolutamente sottrarsi all’impegno.
Così, dice a Severino di aspettarlo. La riunione è lunga e noiosa, Guglielmo ha fretta di andare all’appuntamento con l’erborista, ma quando arriva è troppo tardi. Severino è stato ucciso con un colpo in testa, giace in un bagno di sangue, con i suoi guanti di pelle e, attorno a lui, ci sono sparsi a terra un gran numero di libri.
Guglielmo e Adso ne guardano i titoli e mettono il monaco amanuense Bencio a guardia della porta, perché nessuno entri e alteri le prove. I titoli dei libri non sembrano anomali, e pare che non vi sia lo “strano” libro di cui la vittima aveva parlato all’investigatore. Il cadavere ha i guanti e Guglielmo deduce che le pagine del libro siano avvelenate: Severino lo aveva capito. Perciò il monaco investigatore dice: “Adso, quando troveremo il libro non bisognerà assolutamente toccarlo!”
I due se ne vanno senza altri indizi. Mentre tornano nella cella, Guglielmo è folgorato da un’idea: e se il libro misterioso fosse allegato come seconda parte di un altro manoscritto? Magari costituiva la seconda metà di uno dei libri che erano nell’erboristeria! I due corrono di nuovo sul luogo del delitto ma ormai è tardi… qualcuno ha già portato via il libro. Sicuramente è stato Bencio, l’unico che aveva libertà di accesso poiché era rimasto a sorvegliare la porta. Come tutti gli amanuensi, era curioso di conoscere il contenuto dell’opera misteriosa. Ma sarà lui l’assassino?
La mattina dopo, i monaci si raccolgono in preghiera e tutti, preoccupati, notano l’assenza del bibliotecario Malachia. Nel mezzo dell’orazione, finalmente, Malachia arriva, con il suo aspetto cupo e diffidente, pallido come al solito. I confratelli tirano un sospiro, ma il sollievo dura poco: Malachia, quasi subito, stramazza al suolo senza vita.
Guglielmo nota che tre dei suoi polpastrelli sono coperti di nero: anche lui deve aver sfogliato il misterioso libro avvelenato.
L’abate dichiara che, poche ore prima, Malachia aveva designato come suo aiutante Bencio, poiché Berengario era morto. Adso guarda il suo maestro perplesso, e questo gli chiarisce la situazione: “Ieri Bencio ha rubato il libro ma egli non sa il greco, quindi non avrebbe potuto farci granché. Perciò ha deciso di consegnarlo al bibliotecario Malachia, sperando di ottenere un incarico importante in cambio.
E, infatti, è divenuto vicebibliotecario. Forse è stato lui a uccidere Malachia, così da poter diventare il nuovo bibliotecario… eppure c’è qualcosa che non mi convince. Dobbiamo tornare alla biblioteca!”
Quella sera, Guglielmo riesce finalmente a comprendere l’enigma di Venanzio e, con Adso, si dirige di corsa alla stanza murata dentro alla biblioteca. Mentre si avvicinano odono dei rumori. Guglielmo sa che, lì dentro, si trova l’assassino. Spinge la porta e infatti…
Glossario
di soppiatto: by stealth
a tentoni: groping
alteri: changes, modifies
anomali: unusual, different, strange
avvelenate: poisoned
si raccolgono: gather
diffidente: distrustful, suspicious
aveva designato: designated
Esercizio
Utilizza i termini proposti di seguito per completare le frasi:
impegno – ambasciatori – erborista – tardi – riunione – tentoni – imperatore – preghiere – strano -appuntamento
Il giorno successivo, durante le (1) _______, il monaco (2) ______ Severino si avvicina di soppiatto a Guglielmo: “Devo farvi vedere uno (3) _____ libro che ho trovato e che probabilmente…” ma smette di parlare perché il cieco Jorge si avvicina a (4)_______.
Guglielmo, proprio questa mattina, deve riunirsi con gli altri rappresentanti e (5) ________ per mediare tra il Papa e (6) l’______. È il motivo per cui è venuto all’abbazia e non può assolutamente sottrarsi (7) all’_______.
Così, dice a Severino di aspettarlo. La (8) _______ è lunga e noiosa, Guglielmo ha fretta di andare (9) all’________ con l’erborista, ma quando arriva è troppo (10) ______. Severino è stato ucciso con un colpo in testa.
Soluzioni | Back to Italian Literature page
Daniel says
Buongiorno book-clubbers!
…”which corresponds approximately to pp. 330-463 of the original Italian version” so on the face of it, another long section of reading to do!
But two things:
1.) This is more or less the final straight, after which the finish line looms, with just 40 climatic pages to do (from Wednesday to Friday, if you’re trying to keep up, though there’s no need..) And those will flash by so quickly, I promise, that you’ll wish they hadn’t! Also…
2.) A lot of THIS 133-page slog is taken up by the heresy/church politics sub plot, which I read and enjoyed, though it was harder-going than the detective story. But no reason you can’t use the descriptions at the beginning of each chapter/section in the ‘real book’ to skip right over the theological parts, which is what our ‘riassunto’ does. In fact, today’s ‘riassunto’ starts from p.353 of my paperback copy, rather than p.330 as specified above (for continuity’s sake.) And if you start from p.353 and skip the ‘boring’ parts, you’ll probably not have more than fifty or so action-packed pages to read in total! Of course, that’s not what the author intended you do, but the choice is there to be made. It’s up to you! If you’ve got this far, probably you’ve already come down on one side or the other – read it all, or just follow the whodunnit plot, Hollywood-style.
Buona lettura, allora!
P.S. I’ve been really pleased at all the comments left on the six pages of ‘riassunti’, which certainly adds value for everyone involved, including me. I read them all – keep them coming!
Margaret says
Hello Daniel and my fellow readers, I am one the people reading ‘con calma’ – last night when I read the paragraph on page 192, starting, ‘Salvatore vagò per il mondo’ I resisted the temptation to skip it and was surprised at how much can
be understood without a dictionary – although there are some wonderful sounding words, such as ‘gaglioffi’ which I might look up one day!
Rosalind says
When the 160 pages were announced, the wind was knocked out of my sails and I went on a 36 hour reading strike. Am seriously behind now. But I will get there. This period of history in Europe is interesting so I do want to understand the background and politics (religious or otherwise) contained in the book.
Colleen says
It is taking me longer than I imagined to get through this book. I am skipping some sections . When I re-read the book I hope my reading skills will have improved so that I can read the whole thing! Meanwhile I am enjoying the story and also the riassunto as well as the audiolibro. I ampleased with my improved listening skills. I would LOVE to read Pinnocchio in a book club. I think the Book Club is a BRILLIANT addition to the onlineitalianclub.Thank you!
Chris says
You certainly wouldn’t want to be a monk in this abbey!! Only got so far with the kindle version as I realised it was only a sample though a long one.
Whimped out to just the riassunti. Still not using a dictionary though have to sit on my hands. So much more enjoyable reading without it!
Grazie
Laura says
Chris,
Your first comment gave me a really good laugh! I didn’t know there was so much intrigue and danger in the monasteries back then! I’m still laughing! Today I had to review all the other riassunti just to be able to figure out who was left that could be killed off in capitolo 7!
Laura
Chris says
Hi Laura,
Indeed! Who knew! Now I’m laughing at you reading over the riassunti to see who is left! There can’t be many! 😂
Laura says
I can’t wait for Capitolo 8. Only one more day! Rereading your comment, Daniel’s comment, and your response made me start laughing again!🤣
Daniel says
The food is fantastic, there’s wine too, you get your own room, and the work is interesting. What’s not to like, Chris??
Chris says
Daniel,
You don’t live very long to enjoy it! Lol
Chris
Laura says
I did it!!! I read the entire riassunto di capitolo 7 without the dictionary and understood 90-95 percent! What an exciting chapter. Don’t want to spoil anything for anyone, so I’ll say that I understood that Guglielmo told Adso not to touch the mysterious book under any circumstances, but I didn’t understand why he said that until I went back and checked a pertinent word in the dictionary.
It seems that by reading the way you suggest, Daniel, that my knowledge of Italian is growing by leaps and bounds — so much more exciting to learn something other than “La pasta nel piatto”! (Although I must give DuoLingo credit because they have native speakers speaking the words and phrases you have to translate, and there are parts where you only hear a phrase or sentence and have to type in what you hear — good ear training, as I don’t have anyone to speak Italian with, just Andrea Bocelli and some opera singers to sing along with in Italian. 🤣
I do have a question. I noticed that there is what appears to me to be a strange usage of the word “ne” in certain sentences:
1. Guglielmo e Adso ne guardono i titoli (di libri attorno a Severino)… but they obviously were looking at the titles because a sentence or two later it said that they didn’t think any of the titles looked abnormal.
2. Il due se ne vanno senza altri indizi. But then immediately they leave.
What does “ne” mean in these sentences. Obviously it’s different than the neither/nor construct.
Un altro commento a fine di practicare il mio italiano… Senza ombra di dubbio, sto imparando molto in il nostro club di letteratura. Per fortuna l’ ho trovato su internet.! Io sono ancora perplessa sull’identità dell’assassino e aspetto ansiosamente il riassunto di capitolo 8, perche voglio sapere chi ha ucciso i monaci e perche. Grazie mille per tutto, Daniel!
Daniel says
Ciao Laura,
First of all, congrats on your reading progress! It’s great to hear you’re getting into it, and learning!
Second, thanks for taking the time to comment here. Many people don’t, and it’s that sort of participation that really adds value.
And finally… you know, having read some of your previous comments, I got the idea (maybe wrongly – you’ll correct me if so) that you are only familar with the ‘book club’ part of OnlineItalianClub.com… If that is the case (you’re new around here and have only chanced across this latest part of the project), then of course you’ll be unaware of all the grammar lessons and exercises. So, for example, if you’re seeking answers about the mysterious ‘ne’ particle, you could search in our Grammar index here: https://onlineitalianclub.com/index-of-free-italian-exercises-and-grammar-lessons/. On the other hand, if you don’t know the grammatical term to search for in that alphabetical index (actually it’s ‘Particelle pronominali’), you could just Google (this is what I did, our site is so big I can never find stuff) onlineitalianclub.com + ne, and that’ll likely turn it up.
The page you want is here: https://onlineitalianclub.com/free-italian-exercises-and-resources/italian-grammar/particelle-pronominali-ci-ne/
N.b. people tell me all the time that this grammar is hard, but I don’t think so because I learnt Italian by READING!! Once you’ve seen hundreds of these pesky particles, your brain just figures it out. It has to mean something, after all…
Laura says
Thanks so much for the info on the free exercises, and also for the link to that strange “ne” word! I’ll have to check it out today!
Steph says
Hi all,
I am trotting along at my own pace – I just hit the 50% mark which means I am not all that far behind. I’m finding that I am now reading at a pretty good clip and, wonder of wonders, instead of this being “the book that I am reading in Italian” , it has simply become “the book that I am currently reading.” I’m quite engrossed.
Although I have been skipping much of the philosophy, taking my cue from the riassunto, I did read with great fascination the section where Guglielmo and Adso map out the plan of the labyrinth by walking the outside perimeter. I thought this was a really cool part that the riassunto skips, and I’m glad I took the time to read it.
Pam says
Indeed who is left?? very Agatha Christie!! and what a hook to finish the riassunto. Way behind this point in the full version but the riassunto gives me a clue or two as to where I’m heading.
I am reading some of it aloud (in accents which would probably make my Italian teacher flinch) but oddly that seems to help the understanding.
Cheers
Steph says
HELP! Did I just read a sex scene, or have I completely misunderstood?
That was definitely NOT in the riassunto!
Daniel says
Maybe it was a dream, Steph?? Let’s keep it vague, huh, so as not to spoil things for those going at a slower pace…
Laura says
Steph,
I think the sex scene is referred to in one of the riassunti. I did recognize the word sessuale without any help from the dictionary! Reading these comments is definitely giving me a good belly laugh this morning! I so hope that soon we will do another book together in our club!
Laura
Steph says
Hi Laura, without giving too much away, as Daniel requests, the scene I am referring to is with Adso in the kitchen (sounds like the game of Clue). If you know what I am referring to can you confirm?
Laura says
Steph,
The one that I was talking about was referred to in il riassunto of capitolo 5. Something about Berengario and Adelmo and un favore sessuale en la stanza da letto di Berengario! Does sound a bit like Clue! 😂
Wendy Hartnell says
Steph
I just read that scene too. I can’t see it in the summary. I’ve got a long way to go – not quite reached 50% but I am pretty much reading everything except the Latin. I reckon I’ll be about three books behind by the time zi finish (which I’m determined to do).
Daniel says
No rush, Wendy!
Elsa says
I’m only reading the riassunto but I’m totally hooked. What an exciting story. I’ve also noticed vocabulary that I picked up in some of the Easy Readers. So my reading has not been in vain because things are beginning to stick in my brain.
I won’t buy this book in Italian yet but I’m definitely borrowing the English version from our local library when it finally reopens when the ‘lockdown’ is over.
Mary says
Love the comments. I’m with you Chris – I wouldn’t have wanted to be a monk in that monastery, although as Steph. said there seem to be some compensations! Laura, pleased you enjoyed my comment on “capitolo 6”. (Hope you don’t mind if I recommend the club Skype lessons to you for a weekly fix of talking Italian!)
I am now on 62% on my Kindle version and although that puts me in a sort of purgatory between “capitolo 6” and “capitolo 7”, I am completely hooked and when I check back with the “riassunto” I too am really pleased to have read some of the passages that had to be missed out.
Laura says
Mary,
The club Skype sessions sound really interesting! I’ll have to check it out. Although I might just be listening for a while. It takes me about a half hour to write a paragraph right now, and I am capable of sentences like, Ando con la mia cagna ogni (meaning my female dog, and not the horrible definitions that just came up in the online dictionary when I checked the spelling! Aghhhh! For future reference, is it better to say Ando con il mio cane, even though she’s female?!!
I also can say things like “Il tuo piatto e nel tavolo” and also sentences about i monaci, come “E altamente probabile che i monaci rimasti nell’abbazia sono in grave pericolo!” 😂
Laura
minou says
Thank you Daniel and fellow readers for today’s insights/ideas.
Yes! Who is left! My bet is on il cieco Jorge — due to his all-around unpleasantness. . . and his uncanny abilities.
Laura says
I think it’s the glassmaker (il vetraio) just because he’s the most unlikely to have committed the crime! That’s the way it usually is with mystery novels! 🤣
Leggo il riassunto di capitolo 8 ora!
Lynne F says
Hi all , I am still here.,A little behind probably because the longer section was a little daunting and more so, this continued wonderful weather has meant at lot of time catching up with things in the garden that need to be done. But yesterday I made a concerted effort to get back on track . As many book clubbers have commented the descriptive bits are difficult but skimming over them doesn’t really detract from the story.. It is getting easier and despite not using the dictionary I am understanding more and more.. Even some grammar aspects that previously I have struggled with are making sense when reading them in the book. Thanks for all the encouragement, Back to the book now
Patricia A. Lenz says
Having joined the club late and starting from behind, I am with Rosalind! 160 pages….time for a reading strike. Talking Daniel’s excellent advice and reading ahead for chapter headings and even skipping parts is keeping me going. From within the long, long list of deadly and just ordinary sins, I selected sloth and self-indulgence and am taking a break.
After being bogged down, I stopped for a while and began reading details of the various heresies.
Also, I found using hash tags to mark my progress in slow parts useful; I will do that again when I take up the 16o. Then, I hope to be ready for the sprint to the end.
I have particularly enjoyed parts about properties of stones–gems and minerals–as well as descriptions of plants and “herbs” .
I grew up in the shadow of a Benedictine abbey and monastery, and was educated by Benedictines; overall the abbey/monastery life parts kept me engaged in, if not glued to, the text.
Without the book club, though, I would not have chosen Il nome della rosa for a very long read in Italian!
So, thanks, Daniel, for the launch.
Steph says
I’m hoping the comments section will stay open for a bit to accommodate those of us who are still reading…
Rob Lee says
Ciao tutti. I’ve finally reached the end of Capitolo 7. Took my time, enjoyed the journey and read every bit. The only place that tested my resolve was Adso’s dream. I kept asking myself if Eco had sniffed some of the hallucinogenic herbs in the labyrinth. “What on earth does this have to do with the story or the history / philosophy parallel story” I kept asking myself. But in the end I decided to trust the storytelling competancy of Eco and I stuck with it. Knowing the Bible fairly well helped match the characters mentioned to the different attributes etc. And true to form it did have relevance to the integrity of the story and I learned about the Coena that I had never heard of before.
I would be really keen to know if anyone other than Daniel (boy you have patience Daniel to put up with reading missives from idiots like myself) is reading this.
Also, there were a couple of interesting remarks in the text that I think are Eco’s personal beliefs.
1. Adso says “I semplici pagano sempre per tutti”. I totally agree as the history of the 20th century confirms.
2. Bencio says “L’Italia e una terra di congiure”. I can just imagine this being set as a history A level question to Italian teenagers. Was Eco thinking of mafioso and political backhanders I wonder rather than monks and abbeys.
Reading this book was my Coronavirus project and I will not be finished before lockdown ends but who cares. Let me know if you aren’t finished yet either.
Daniel says
Bencio says “L’Italia e una terra di congiure”. I can just imagine this being set as a history A level question to Italian teenagers.
Italian teenagers don’t do A levels, nor study recent history. It’s way too controversial, for a start. Also because they study (memorise the ‘facts’ of) history from the ‘beginning’ and proceed chronologically, starting again from scratch in each new phase of schooling, so rarely if ever get to the end!
My three kids were certainly NOT encouraged to question the way the world is during their schooling. Study the received wisdom, whatever that may be, memorise it, be tested on it, and, if the wind’s behind you and the prof. doesn’t have indigestion, pass the year and so on to the next pile of pointless knowledge that is to be unquestioningly assimilated.
As proof I offer that every school child is supposed to read the same classic works of Italian literature, like it or not, even if they are aiming to become mechanics or beauty therapists, and answer the teachers questions ‘correctly’. Or not graduate high school.
Call me cynical but literature and language in Italy are tools for the socialisation of the citizens of the future. Believing in ‘complotti’ and that ‘nothing ever really changes’ is an intrinsic part of the syllabus, while questioning WHY nothing ever changes is certainly not. The mafia is bad (a pass answer). Why is Italy uniquely affected? (that’s not a question for this course.)
Ann says
I’m still going with the original text, but I did take a break to knit 3 cardigans !(Daniel will understand)
I have enjoyed it, learned a lot and feel proud to have tackled such a long text in Italian. Roll on the days when I can get back to Madrelingua
Norman says
Hi,
I thought I would just let you know that I am still reading the book.
I have only just reached the end of Day Two so still have some way to go. I don’t care; the book is tough going but, in my inexpert and naive view, is beautifully written.
Best regards
Daniel says
Bravo Norman!!
Alice says
Still reading and writing summaries of each section! A slog, but it helps me distill things and also helps me find less archaic sinonimi. Also watched the 2018 video version with John Turturro, Unfortunately with English subtitles. Could find online only the first two episodes of this 2018 RAI series in Italian. But it all helps!
Penny says
Hi Rob.
well it was my lockdown project too and I finished it only a week ago. So stay in there!!
This was only because I used the audiobook. it was a huge help.(thank you to whoever posted the link for us) First because it speeded up my reading speed and also because it leaves out some chunks which did make it a shorter journey. it was a genuinely good read. I rather enjoyed the relationship between Guiliermo and the novice and being a fan of obscure medieval history I went off on some side bits of reading on the heretics and the tortuous history of the papacy versus Empire contest. Having discovered the audio Libri I am now reading Le Voci della Sera by Natalia Ginzberg. it is less than a third of the length so hopefully I will have finished it before the end of June!
Reflecting on Eco I read something that says his editor suggested he should cut about a third of it but Eco refused. I reckon he was probably on something when he wrote some of the more extravagant passages but still really enjoyed the journey and feel that I’ve achieved at least one thing in lockdown.
Angela says
Hi fellow readers,
Having got thoroughly frightened by the menace ,of the Inquisition passages and bogged down in the theologiacal disquisitions , I took some time off for lighter reading,but am now slowly more than two thirds through and hope to finish this year!!
Angela
Daniel says
The last part went really quickly for me, Angela. Forza!
Helen says
Hi. I’m still reading and finding parts that I enjoy and others that send me to sleep! Want to read Io Non Ho Paura next but feel I must get to the end of Il Nome… before starting anything else in Italian.
Helen.
Rob Lee says
I think thats 5 plus myself still reading and Penny who finished last week. Strange how you think you are the only one and then you find out you’re not. It’s great to know you are all still on the same path – we just can’t see each other because of the bends in the road.
“Forza! Ce la fai!” I think thats what gli italiani shout at the stragglers on the steep gradients in the Giro. Is that Daniel in the team car shouting encouragement – between gulps of cold beer?? It does help Daniel, thanks for the encouragement.
My next post will be at the end!!!
Helen says
Hi Rob, I’m VERY pleased to say that I have just finished reading it! Can’t say I read every single word but most of it anyway. It’s thanks to you and the remaining 5 or 6 of us still carrying on that I made it to the bitter end……and of course Daniel’s advice to just read and not to worry about the words I didn’t understand It was a long old haul but I’m very pleased and impressed with myself for having persevered. ( as you can probably tell )
Daniel says
Well done Helen!
I’m very pleased and impressed with myself for having persevered
Yes, that’s how I felt, too.