The Interview

Academic Year 2024-25
Subject : English Core Grade: 12

The Interview
Theme of the Lesson

The interview has two stories. In story one the narrator tells us about the reaction
and views of celebrities towards an interview. Most of the famous personalities find
them to intrude on their personal lives and some have never given an interview all
their life. The story has the theme of how the freedom of the press can curtail an
individual’s privacy.
The second story is a part of an interview of the famous writer and academician
Umberto Eco. In this story we get to know the various qualities of time management
used by the famous writer. These help him gather so many feathers in his hat. He
gives the details of the various aspects which contribute to a person’s success.
Summary
The lesson begins with the introduction to interview as a commonplace of journalism
since its invention, which was a little over 130 years ago. According to the author, it
is not very surprising that people have very distinct opinions about the usage of
interview. Some think of it in its highest form whereas some people can’t stand being
interviewed. An interview leaves a lasting impression and according to an old saying,
when perceptions are made about a certain person, the original identity of his soul
gets stolen. Famous celebrities, writers and artists have been heard criticising
interviews. Rudyard Kipling’s wife wrote in her diary how their day in Boston was
ruined by two reporters. Kipling considers interviewing an assault, a crime that
should attract punishment. He believes that a respectable man would never ask or
give an interview.
There is an excerpt from the interview between Mukund (from The Hindu
newspaper) and Umberto Eco, a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy who
had already acquired a formidable reputation as a scholar for his ideas on semiotics
(the study of signs), literary interpretation, and medieval aesthetics before he turned
to writing fiction. The interview revolves around the success of his novel, The Name
of the Rose whose more than ten million copies were sold in the market. The
interviewer begins by asking him how Umberto manages to do so many different
things to which he replies by saying that he is doing the same thing. He further
justifies and mentions that his books about children talk about peace and non-
violence which in the end, reflect his interest in philosophy. Umberto identifies
himself as an academic scholar who attends academic conferences during the week
and writes novels on Sundays. It doesn’t bother him that he is identified by others as
a novelist and not a scholar, because he knows that it is difficult to reach millions of
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people with scholarly work. He believes there are empty spaces in one’s life, just like
there are empty spaces in atoms and the Universe. He calls them interstices and
most of his productive work is done during that time. Talking about his novel, he
mentions that it is not an easy-read. It has a detective aspect to it along with
metaphysics, theology and medieval history. Also, he believes that had the novel
been written ten years earlier or later, it would have not seen such a huge success.
Thus, the reason for its success still remains a mystery.
Question and Answers

1. How does Eco find the time to write so much?
A. Eco is a university professor who attends academic conferences all week. He
finds so much time to write in the empty spaces that we all have in our lives, just like
the structure of atoms and Universe. He terms these empty spaces as ‘interstices’. If
he is waiting for someone coming to his house via the escalator, he would use that
time to write an essay rather than sit idle. Therefore, he considers himself a scholar
who writes novels on Sundays.
2. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
A. Generally, academic scholars write false hypothesis, rectify them and then give
conclusions. On the other hand, Umberto takes the readers through the journey of
his research, quoting all the trials and errors to reach the conclusion. His narrative
style of writing made him distinctive.
3. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
A. Umberto Eco identifies himself with the academic community. According to him,
he is a university professor who attends academic conferences all week and writes
novels on Sundays.
4. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the
Rose?
A. The novel, The Name of the Rose is a hard-read, differentiating it from other
novels. It is a detective narrative that contains metaphysics, theology and medieval
history. Thus, it targeted the audience that is not interested in an easy reading
experience, probably not all the time. However, the success of the novel still remains
a mystery. According to Umberto, had the novel been written ten years earlier or
later, it would have not attracted the same proportion of the audience.
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Academic Year 2024-25

Subject : English Core Grade: 12

Theme of the Lesson

Question and Answers

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