A Critical Discourse Analysis on the Novel The Name of the Rose from the Perspective of Foucauldian Relationship between Knowledge, Power, and Subjectivity
Ayten Bengisu CanseverAt first glance, although Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose seemingly depicts a murder in 14th-century medieval Italy, it whispers to its readers about the power held by the church, the conflicts between religious orders, philosophy, the dominant worldview of the era, knowledge production and dissemination, librarianship, and the dark Europe of the Middle Ages. In academic literature, The Name of the Rose has been extensively studied in terms of its literary techniques, symbols, and narrative structure. A review of the literature reveals studies to have focused on various aspects, including semiotic analyses, discussions on postmodern literary techniques and symbols, interrogations of scientific knowledge and reality, analyses of detective and murder plots, examinations of library science and librarianship, explorations of mass media and sociology of religion, and the integration of literary works with the history of science and philosophy. In contrast to the existing literature, this study employs a critical discourse analysis using the Foucauldian paradigm of knowledgepower-subject relations to scrutinize the character relationships, narrative structure, and other defining elements presented in Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. This study’s findings suggest the novel’s narrative construction of church authority to be aimed at maintaining its legitimacy by controlling the production and distribution of knowledge. As places where knowledge is preserved and disseminated, libraries in this context are portrayed differently from their contemporary understanding and are depicted as structures that store and protect books. Furthermore, Eco reconfigures the relationship among knowledge, power, and subject in the transition from a theocentric to an anthropocentric worldview, allegorically portraying the first steps of the Enlightenment era in his narrative. In conclusion, this study is envisioned to inspire future research endeavors by unveiling the intricate relationship among knowledge, power, and subject from a Foucauldian perspective through the lens of The Name of the Rose. While this study is confined to the analysis of The Name of the Rose, future investigations comparing how different literary works or artistic expressions address this relationship could offer deeper insights.
Foucault’cu Bilgi, İktidar ve Özne İlişkisi Perspektifinden Gülün Adı Romanı Üzerine Bir Eleştirel Söylem Çözümlemesi
Ayten Bengisu CanseverGülün Adı, ilk bakışta 14. Yüzyıl Orta Çağ İtalya’sında gerçekleşen bir cinayeti konu alan roman gibi görünse de kilisenin elinde bulundurduğu gücü, tarikat savaşlarını, felsefeyi, dönemin sahip olduğu hâkim dünya görüşünü, bilgi üretimini ve dağıtımını, kütüphaneciliği ve karanlık Orta Çağ Avrupası’nı satır aralarında okuyucularına fısıldamaktadır. Akademik literatürde Gülün Adı romanı, kullandığı edebiyat teknikleri, içerdiği semboller, sahip olduğu olay kurgusu bağlamında akademik literatürde çok fazla çalışmaya konu olmuştur. Yapılan literatür taramasında roman bağlamında; semiyotik analiz yapılması, postmodern edebiyat tekniklerinin ve sembollerinin tartışılması, bilimsel bilginin ve gerçekliğin sorgulanması, dedektiflik ve cinayet kurgusunun analizi, kütüphane ve kütüphanecilik mesleğinin incelenmesi, kitle iletişim araçlarının ve din sosyolojisinin ele alınması, bilim tarihi ve bilgi felsefesiyle edebi bir yaklaşımın birleştirilmesi gibi çeşitli konular üzerinde çalışmaların yoğunlaştığı görülmüştür. Literatürden farklı olarak bu çalışmada, Umberto Eco’nun Gülün Adı romanında sunulan karakter ilişkileri, olay örgüsü ve diğer belirleyici unsurları Foucault’cu bilgi-iktidar-özne ilişkisi ekseninde eleştirel söylem çözümlemesi metodu kullanılarak incelenmektedir. Çalışmadan elde edilen bulgulara göre romanın kurgusunda yer alan kilise iktidarı meşruiyetini korumak amacıyla bilginin üretimini ve dağıtımını kontrol altında tutmaktadır. Bu noktada bilginin muhafaza edildiği ve dağıtıldığı bir mekân olarak kütüphaneler ise, bugünkü anlayıştan farklı olarak kitapları saklayan ve koruyan yapılar olarak tasvir edilmektedir. Bu bilgi ve iktidar ilişkisinden hareketle öznellikler de üretilmektedir. Ayrıca Eco, teosentrik dünya görüşünden antroposentrik dünya görüşüne geçişte öznenin iktidar ve bilgiye olan ilişkisini anlatısında yeniden kurgulayarak Aydınlanma sürecinin ilk adımlarını alegorik söylemlerle okuyucusuna aktarmaktadır. Sonuç olarak, Gülün Adı romanı aracılığıyla Foucauldian perspektiften bilgi, iktidar ve özne arasındaki bu karmaşık ilişkiyi ortaya çıkaran bu çalışmanın gelecek çalışmalara ilham kaynağı olabileceği düşünülmektedir. Çalışmanın sınırları içerisinde Gülün Adı romanı incelenirken, gelecekteki çalışmalarda farklı edebi eserlerin veya sanatsal ifadelerin bu ilişkiyi nasıl ele aldığını karşılaştırmalı bir şekilde incelemek daha fazla anlayış sağlayabilir
Comprehending the intricate interplay of knowledge, power, and subjectivity holds paramount importance in understanding societal dynamics and intellectual development. This nuanced relationship has found diverse expressions across various historical and cultural contexts and been extensively explored in literary works, cinema, and other forms of artistic expression. This study seeks to delve into the knowledge-power-subject relationship by examining it from a Foucauldian perspective with a specific focus on Umberto Eco’s seminal work The Name of the Rose. Michel Foucault’s extensive body of work is dedicated to a profound analysis of the complex dynamics among knowledge, power, and subjectivity. He has underscored subject as being a product of constructed, unnatural conditions within power relations shaped by specific historical epochs, knowledge domains, and discourses. Foucault has investigated the formation of subjectivity through subjective experiences mediated by various techniques and technologies emerging within power relationships in distinct historical periods and specific knowledge domains. The Name of the Rose intricately weaves a narrative around a murder case set in 14th-century medieval Europe yet subtly conveys profound themes related to church power, sectarian conflicts, the Church as the custodian of knowledge, access to knowledge, the role of libraries, and the influence of a theocentric worldview on knowledge. In alignment with the novel’s narrative, this study seeks to conduct an in-depth analysis of these pivotal themes. Within the novel’s plot, three key elements are earmarked for analysis: (1) the power dynamics and relationships among characters, dissecting how power operates through specific societal institutions or figures, (2) the production and dissemination of knowledge within the context of the novel, unraveling how knowledge is utilized and exploring its impact on power and authority, and (3) a discussion on how characters in the novel shape their subjectivities through subjective experiences. Employing critical discourse analysis as the chosen methodology, this study aims to reveal the profound intellectual layers and meanings embedded in symbols within an ecological framework of thought. The study is divided into three main sections apart from the introduction and conclusion. The first section forms the conceptual framework and employs theoretical insights from Michel Foucault’s works to interpret the knowledge-power-subject relationships underlying Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose, which is centered around a murder mystery in the context of a crime story. The second section provides systematic and detailed information about the methodology employed in the study. The third section critically analyzes The Name of the Rose using the method of critical discourse analysis. The findings are then discussed within the framework of the Foucauldian power-knowledge-subject relationship. According to the study’s findings, the church’s authority strategically seeks to control the generation and circulation of knowledge to maintain its legitimacy. Contrary to the contemporary understanding of libraries, the novel portrays them as institutions preserving and safeguarding books. In narrating the shift from a theocentric worldview to an anthropocentric one, Eco allegorically reconfigures the relationship among knowledge, power, and subject, marking the initial stages of the Enlightenment period. In conclusion, this study examines The Name of the Rose from a Foucauldian perspective to unveil the intricate relationship among knowledge, power, and subject. By revealing the complexity of this relationship, this study is anticipated to be able to inspire future research. While this study has focused on The Name of the Rose, future studies could offer a comparative exploration of how different literary works or artistic expressions address this intricate relationship.
