question_answer 8)

What was distinctive about Eco's academic writing style?    

Answer:

Umberto Eco, a professor at the University of Bologna, earned his reputation as a scholar for his study on semiotics, literary understanding, and medieval aesthetics much before he was acknowledged as a novelist. Both his non-fictional writing and his scholarly work, had a certain playful and personal quality about it which was in contrast to the regular academic style which is depersonalized, often dry and boring. He wrote a wide range of literature including fiction, academic texts, essays, children's books, and newspaper articles. In 1980, his novel, The Name of the Rose, was published which sold more than 10 million copies.   Umberto Eco maintained that he had some philosophical interests that he pursued through his academic work and his novels. His books for children, too, were about non-violence and peace. He had written five novels against over 40 scholarly works of non-fiction which included an influential piece of work on semiotics. He considered himself to be a university professor who wrote novels only on Sundays. He participated in academic conferences and identified with the academic community.