Volume V Special Issue IV October 2025

Name of Author : K. Janani, Dr. J.Bobby Rajakanthi

Title of the paper : The Fragile Truth: Postmodern Doubt in Umberto Ecos The Name of the Rose

Abstract: Umberto Ecos The Name of the Rose is more than a medieval detective story it is a profound meditation on the difficulty of knowing the truth. Set in a monastery filled with secrets, forbidden books, and intellectual rivalries, the novel raises questions that remain urgent today How do we recognize truth, and how fragile is it when faced with competing beliefs and interpretations This paper explores how Eco portrays truth not as a stable or absolute reality but as something precarious, contested, and shaped by narrative. The novel brings faith, reason, and authority into conflict, showing how each system of knowledge struggles to claim certainty yet ultimately fails. William of Baskervilles inquiry begins with confidence in logic and observation but gradually reveals that every solution opens up more uncertainty. Jorge of Burgos, by contrast, clings to dogma and censors knowledge to protect an unshakable truth, yet his efforts lead to destruction. The labyrinthine library, a central symbol, reflects this paradox it promises order but entangles readers in endless possibilities. Through Jean François Lyotards skepticism toward grand narratives and Linda Hutcheons historiographic metafiction, this paper argues that Eco dramatizes the fragility of truth as both an intellectual and human experience.

Keywords : Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose, Fragile Truth, Doubt and Interpretation, Truth and Narrative.

DOI :

Page Number : 175-182