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Umberto Eco: The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana
- Thread starter Stewart
- Start date
Diotallevi
New Member
Nice 
I'm half way to end it.
I didn't get much sleep today because of that novel...
I'm half way to end it.I didn't get much sleep today because of that novel...
clueless
New Member
One of the themes in the book is the difference between semantic and episodic memories. Yambo loses the second, while keeping the first. I have added a definition of both types of memory.
"Semantic memory contains conceptual and factual knowledge. Episodic memory allows us to recall personal incidents that uniquely define our lives" (Schacter, Daniel L. Searching for Memory - the brain, the mind, and the past (New York: Basic Books, 1996, 17)
Do you think these types of memory are so clearly defined and independent as they are in the book or that some semantic memories could also be emotional memories, e.g. a book that had a great impact on you, something that you really enjoy learning?
"Semantic memory contains conceptual and factual knowledge. Episodic memory allows us to recall personal incidents that uniquely define our lives" (Schacter, Daniel L. Searching for Memory - the brain, the mind, and the past (New York: Basic Books, 1996, 17)
Do you think these types of memory are so clearly defined and independent as they are in the book or that some semantic memories could also be emotional memories, e.g. a book that had a great impact on you, something that you really enjoy learning?
Øystein
Member
I don't have the book yet myself, and probably won't for a good while, but I figured I'd pop in nad mention the Queen Loana Annotation Project.
One of the very few nice uses of wiki-software, where basically tons of people (anyone who wants to, really) can go in and comment on whatever they've dug out of the text: http://queenloana.wikispaces.org/
One of the very few nice uses of wiki-software, where basically tons of people (anyone who wants to, really) can go in and comment on whatever they've dug out of the text: http://queenloana.wikispaces.org/
clueless said:
I finished it a couple of weeks ago.
I did like it though I was a bit disappointed over all not quite what I expected. I was expecting alot more about how re-reading the books and comics the main character read as a young boy and man helped his rediscover his identity. However a huge amount of the book is about the comics and books themselves and not about the main character.
A clever ending though!.
Not as enjoyable as other UE's books I've read though more accesible that Foucaults Pendulum and The Name Of The Rose.
clueless
New Member
mgarratty said:
Yes, that's the reason for my question. Those two types of memory I mentioned reside in different parts of the brain. Yambo's identity was lost. Did he loose the memories of those comics and children books too, as they were linked to his emotions at that time? It seems he did, because he could not remember them and he reread them to try to recover the past; rereading them did not help. It was like reading them for the first time, but now as an adult. His impressions are completely different from what they were as a child and they cannot help him to remember.
I agree with you that it was too much. I think he relished going over his own childhood memories and readings.
Diotallevi
New Member
Hi everyone!
I'm having a really hard time finishing this book. Eco has always been my favourite author, I've reread his books with pleasure.
In the first chapters, I had fun with all the references to another books, or ways of thinking that I've always had. But the rest of the book was very boring to me. I usually can read a lot before going to sleep, but after 3 o 4 pages I was exhausted.
I found this Eco, very different from the Eco of Foucault's Pendulum.
Maybe "Queen Loana..." was a book he wrote to himself?
Maybe I'm not old enough to understand all the underlying meanings of each picture?
My mother has the same age as Umberto Eco, and maybe she can relate more to the book (I'll keep you informed), but I'm 26 and some things were familiar, but most of them weren't.
Am I making any sense?
I'm having a really hard time finishing this book. Eco has always been my favourite author, I've reread his books with pleasure.
In the first chapters, I had fun with all the references to another books, or ways of thinking that I've always had. But the rest of the book was very boring to me. I usually can read a lot before going to sleep, but after 3 o 4 pages I was exhausted.
I found this Eco, very different from the Eco of Foucault's Pendulum.
Maybe "Queen Loana..." was a book he wrote to himself?
Maybe I'm not old enough to understand all the underlying meanings of each picture?
My mother has the same age as Umberto Eco, and maybe she can relate more to the book (I'll keep you informed
), but I'm 26 and some things were familiar, but most of them weren't.Am I making any sense?
Diotallevi
New Member
Queen Loana
I was, anyway, fascinated by the description of the different memory types, although, and I know Eco fans will kill me for this (hell, I'll kill myself for saying this) That part, reminded me of the way that Dan Brown describes things (not a good thing). Some of the dialogs between Yambo and his wife about his memory loss were, in my opinion, clumsy. I know he did this to explain to us what was going on, but nevertheless I thought it can be done better. Damn, he manages to explain how the pendulum works and later he even transcribes BASIC code, and still is brilliant at it!
Well, I don't know, maybe when I read it again, in a few years, I'll start to understand and love this book too.
Now, another thing. When I started reading it, I was amazed because unconsciously I was making my own story, thinking about which things were my "flames" and it was a wonderful feeling, because I remembered things almost forgotten. So maybe that's the point of the book. To make us remember the things that we cared, and most important of all, the things that makes us what we are today.
PS:Will I ever be forgiven for putting Eco and Brown in the same sentence? (DAMN! I did it again! )
I was, anyway, fascinated by the description of the different memory types, although, and I know Eco fans will kill me for this (hell, I'll kill myself for saying this) That part, reminded me of the way that Dan Brown describes things (not a good thing). Some of the dialogs between Yambo and his wife about his memory loss were, in my opinion, clumsy. I know he did this to explain to us what was going on, but nevertheless I thought it can be done better. Damn, he manages to explain how the pendulum works and later he even transcribes BASIC code, and still is brilliant at it!
Well, I don't know, maybe when I read it again, in a few years, I'll start to understand and love this book too.
Now, another thing. When I started reading it, I was amazed because unconsciously I was making my own story, thinking about which things were my "flames" and it was a wonderful feeling, because I remembered things almost forgotten. So maybe that's the point of the book. To make us remember the things that we cared, and most important of all, the things that makes us what we are today.
PS:Will I ever be forgiven for putting Eco and Brown in the same sentence? (DAMN! I did it again!
)murraymint11
New Member
...
A third of the way through the book, and I was REALLY struggling - so many quotations from literature I am unfamiliar with - I found it really hard work, and nearly gave up.
Half-way through, and it hooked me in more, references to life in Italy during the Second World War were interesting. Then the discovery of the chapel room pulled me in a little further.
I am now two-thirds of the way and although I will admit to skipping some paragraphs here and there, I think I will make it to the end.
But really a struggle for me.
Jane
Herts, UK
A third of the way through the book, and I was REALLY struggling - so many quotations from literature I am unfamiliar with - I found it really hard work, and nearly gave up.
Half-way through, and it hooked me in more, references to life in Italy during the Second World War were interesting. Then the discovery of the chapel room pulled me in a little further.
I am now two-thirds of the way and although I will admit to skipping some paragraphs here and there, I think I will make it to the end.
But really a struggle for me.
Jane
Herts, UK
mehastings
Active Member
johnhawks said:Sorry to interupt, but when do we know the BOTM for August? I'd like to start now...I'm not really a fast reader.
It's the new Harry Potter. The discussion starts Aug 1, so many people start reading early.
murraymint11
New Member
John,johnhawks said:Sorry to interupt, but when do we know the BOTM for August? I'd like to start now...I'm not really a fast reader.
If you go to the Suggestions and Voting Forum, you will see that the August BOTM is the latest Harry Potter novel. There should be a new Voting thread up soon for the September BOTM; check out the Suggestions for September thread for the candidate books.
Diotallevi
New Member
I have advanced further in the story of Yambo, and it's getting better in the end. I'm fascinated by his life in Italy. Eco says it's quite autobiographical, but did that events really occur?
The views of the second world war expressed are really new to me, and I'm beginning to like this previusly boring book. I can't wait to get to my bed and read, and that's always a good sign for me
The views of the second world war expressed are really new to me, and I'm beginning to like this previusly boring book. I can't wait to get to my bed and read, and that's always a good sign for me