The Interview Lesson and Explanation MP Board Solution
The Interview Character Sketches:
Umberto Eco- Umberto Eco is an absolutely dedicated
individual who wishes to bring slight changes in the world by imparting knowledge
through his scholarly works and novels. He is extremely punctual and values his
time. Eco laid out the concept of interstices in the interview, where he
explained that the empty spaces available to us throughout our day can be used
by people to do some work. He used an example from his life, where he had said
that if he waits for lift of someone else, he utilizes that time and writes an
article in that amount of time. This example is a pure reflection of his
punctual and dedicated soul. He is humble and down-to-earth since he wants to
get recognized as an academician or scholar who writes novels on Sundays and
not as a novelist. Umberto is quite polite since he answered all the questions
with utmost honesty and patience. The conversation reveals that he was
interested in the interview and was giving intriguing answers. Unlike many
other celebrities, his opinions about journalism and interviews were different.
Mukund Padmanabhan- Mukund knew his work well and was dedicated to
journalism. The amount of research or as we popularly say ‘homework’ he had
done for the interview showcased this. Padmanabhan was into good journalism
since he did not make the interviewee uncomfortable at any moment throughout
the interview and sticked to only relevant, intellectual, and good questions.
His questions were focused on bringing something good out of Umberto and
extracting the best of his knowledge and opinions.
Summary (Important Points)
- Interviews have been part of journalism for more than 130 years now.
- Almost every person in the world might have listened to or watched at least an interview in their entire lifetime. Despite the commonality the art of interview holds, people have a lot of diverse opinions regarding it.
- Some consider the interview in its highest form, a source of truth, and, in its practice, an art while interviewees, especially celebrities, see themselves as its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them.
- S. Naipaul1 ‘feels that some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.
- Lewis Carroll, the creator of Alice in Wonderland, was said to have had ‘a just horror of the interviewer’ and he never consented to be interviewed.
- Rudyard Kipling on being asked about why he refuses to give interviews answered, “Because it is immoral! It is a crime, just as much of a crime as an offense against my person, as an assault, and just as much merits punishment. It is cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give it”.
- Saul Bellow had described interviews as being like thumbprints on his windpipe.
- Denis Brian writes, “These days, more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through interviews. Almost everything of the moment reaches us through one man asking questions of another. Because of this, the interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence”.
The Interview Introduction
The Interview by Christopher Silvester is an excerpt taken from his Penguin
Book of interviews. In this, he talks about various opinions of the celebrities
regarding an interview; its functions, methods and merits. It also consists of
an excerpt from an interview with the infamous writer Umberto Eco.
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.
The Interview 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 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.
The Interview Lesson and Explanation
Part I
Passage – Since its invention a little over 130 years ago, the interview
has become a commonplace of journalism. Today, almost everybody who is literate
will have read an interview at some point in their lives, while from the other
point of view, several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the
years, some of them repeatedly.
Word Meaning:
Commonplace– not unusual; ordinary
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Interview,
an inevitable part of journalism was discovered over 130 years ago. These days,
it is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, people who are educated are
believed to have read an interview at one or other point in their lives and on
the other hand, almost every celebrity has been interviewed more than once.
Passage – So it is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview — of
its functions, methods and merits — vary considerably. Some might make quite
extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a source of truth,
and, in its practice, an art. Others, usually celebrities who see themselves as
its victims, might despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into their
lives, or feel that it somehow diminishes them, just as in some primitive
cultures it is believed that if one takes a photographic portrait of somebody
then one is stealing that person’s soul.
Word Meaning:
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Since it is very
commonly used, it is not unbelievable that many people have conflicting views
about the usage and advantages of an interview. Some people have elaborative
claims about it’s goodness as they believe it to be a path towards knowing
complete truth and consider it’s practice to be an art. If looked at from the
interviewee’s point of view, it may look like an unwanted intervention in their
personal lives. It creates a picture in the minds of readers and viewers which
according to an old saying, steals the original identity of the person.
Passage – V. S. Naipaul ‘feels that some people are wounded by interviews and
lose a part of themselves,’ Lewis Carroll, the creator of Alice in Wonderland,
was said to have had ‘a just horror of the interviewer’ and he never consented
to be interviewed — It was his horror of being lionized which made him thus
repel would be acquaintances, interviewers, and the persistent petitioners for
his autograph and he would afterwards relate the stories of his success in
silencing all such people with much satisfaction and amusement. V. S. Naipaul-
Known as a cosmopolitan writer. In his travel books and in his documentary
works he presents his impressions of the country of his ancestors that is
India. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Many famous
personalities have a bad impression in their minds about interviews. The
cosmopolitan writer, V. S. Naipaul feels that a bad interview has the tendency
of leaving them wounded for life. The creator of Alice in Wonderland never consented
to be interviewed as he was too scared of the interviewer. He feared that a lot
of attention would be drawn towards him and thus, he remained away from those
who knew him – those who wanted to either interview him or get an autograph of
his. He would narrate tales of his success at avoiding such requests with
satisfaction and enjoyment.
Passage – Rudyard Kipling expressed an even more condemnatory attitude
towards the interviewer. His wife, Caroline, writes in her diary for 14 October
1892 that their day was ‘wrecked by two reporters from Boston’. She reports her
husband as saying to the reporters, “Why do I refuse to be interviewed? Because
it is immoral! It is a crime, just as much of a crime as an offence against my
person, as an assault, and just as much merits punishment. It is cowardly and
vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give it,” Yet Kipling had
himself perpetrated such an ‘assault’ on Mark Twain only a few years before.
Rudyard Kipling- A prolific writer
who was known as the poet of the common soldier. Kipling’s Jungle Book which is
a story of Kimball O’ Hara and his adventures in the Himalayas is considered a
children’s classic all over the world.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Rudyard
Kipling was strongly against the idea of getting interviewed. His wife recorded
one such incident in her diary when their day in Boston was ruined by two
reporters. She also made an account of why her husband refused to appear for an
interview. According to him, interviews are immortal and he calls interviewing
a ‘crime’ which should attract punishment just as any other crime. It is an
extremely unpleasant experience and no man with self-respect would ask or
consent to it. Ironically, Kipling once carried on such ‘assault’ on Mark Twain
some years earlier.
Passage – H. G. Wells in an interview in 1894 referred to ‘the interviewing
ordeal’, but was a fairly frequent interviewee and forty years later found
himself interviewing Joseph Stalin. Saul Bellow, who has consented to be
interviewed on several occasions, nevertheless once described interviews as
being like thumbprints on his windpipe. Yet despite the drawbacks of the
interview, it is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. “These days,
more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries
are through interviews,” Denis Brian has written. “Almost everything of moment
reaches us through one man asking questions of another. Because of this, the
interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence.”
Explanation of
the Above Passage – The famous
English novelist and journalist, H.G.Wells said that an interview was an
unpleasant experience but forty years later, he interviewed the Russian
revolutionary, Joseph Stalin. Another writer, Saul Bellow commented that an
interview seemed to be like fingertips on his windpipe which means that he felt
choked and suffocated when he sat for one. Despite the drawbacks, an interview
seemed to fulfil its purpose of communicating with the audience.According to
Denis Brian, an interview gives us the most clear impression of the people of
our times. The set up of one man, the interviewer asking questions from the
other, the interviewee gives him power and influence.
Part II
Passage – “I am a professor who writes novels on Sundays” – Umberto Eco
The following is an extract from an
interview of Umberto Eco. The interviewer is Mukund Padmanabhan from The Hindu.
Umberto Eco, a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy 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. Literary fiction, academic texts, essays, children’s
books, newspaper articles— his written output is staggeringly large and
wide-ranging, In 1980, he acquired the equivalent of intellectual superstardom
with the publication of The Name of the Rose, which sold more than 10 million
copies.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – The
following is a part of an interview of the Italian novelist named, Umberto Eco.
He said that he wrote novels on Sundays. Mukund Padmanabhan from The Hindu
newspaper interviewed him. Umberto Eco was a professor at the University of
Bologna, Italy at that time. He was famous for his thoughts on semiotics,
interpretation of writings and the beauty of the middle ages. Later, he turned
to write fiction. He wrote a variety of literature – fiction, academic texts,
essays, books for children and articles for newspapers. He rose to fame in the
year 1980 when his book titled ‘The Name of the Rose’ became a bestseller.
Passage – Umberto Eco: Aah, now that is more difficult to explain. I have
some philosophical interests and I pursue them through my academic work and my
novels. Even my books for children are about non-violence and peace…you see,
the same bunch of ethical, philosophical interests. And then I have a secret.
Did you know what will happen if you eliminate the empty spaces from the
universe, eliminate the empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe will become
as big as my fist. Similarly, we have a lot of empty spaces in our lives. I
call them interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an
elevator and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is an interstice,
an empty space. I work in empty spaces. While waiting for your elevator to come
up from the first to the third floor, I have already written an article!
(Laughs).
Explanation of
the Above Passage – He found it
difficult to put it into words but began by saying that he had specific
philosophical interests that he continually sought to pursue through his
academic works and novels. Talking about his books for children, they all
talked about non-violence and peace, which were again based on ethics. Then, he
talked about his secret – that he worked in empty spaces of time. He called
them interstices. According to him, these empty spaces were very crucial. If
you removed the empty spaces from the atoms or from the universe, the universe
would be very compact, just as big as his fist. So, if he was expecting someone
over, that is, someone was coming to his house and the guest took the elevator
from the ground floor to his flat on the third floor, as Umberto waited for the
guest – that time was an interstice and he used that interstice to write an
article. That is how he worked in such empty spaces of time which many people waste
by sitting idle and waiting!
Explanation of
the Above Passage Mukund
mentioned that what he did was undoubtedly unique. His scholarly articles were
very different from the usual academic style. The usual academic style lacked
personal touch and was dry and boring. On the other hand, Umberto’s writings
had a certain playful and personal touch. He asked Eco that did he
intentionally adopt an informal way of writing or was he being natural.
Passage – Umberto Eco: When I presented my first Doctoral dissertation in
Italy, one of the Professors said, “Scholars learn a lot of a certain subject,
then they make a lot of false hypotheses, then they correct them and at the
end, they put the conclusions. You, on the contrary, told the story of your
research. Even including your trials and errors.” At the same time, he
recognised I was right and went on to publish my dissertation as a book, which
meant he appreciated it. At that point, at the age of 22, I understood
scholarly books should be written the way I had done — by telling the story of
the research. This is why my essays always have a narrative aspect. And this is
why probably I started writing narratives [novels] so late — at the age of 50,
more or less. I remember that my dear friend Roland Barthes was always
frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist. He wanted to do creative
writing one day or another but he died before he could do so. I never felt this
kind of frustration. I started writing novels by accident. I had nothing to do
one day and so I started. Novels probably satisfied my taste for narration.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Umberto
narrated his story from his time in Italy where a Professor told that his
thesis was way different from others. He told his story including the trials
and errors that happened during his research. Others, on the other hand made
false assumptions, corrected them, and put conclusions. This was the reason why
the professor even published his thesis as a book. At the age of 22, he
realized that his way of writing was the correct way and that is why his essays
were always in a narrative tone. Probably, this was also the reason why he
started writing novels at the age of 50. On the contrary, his friend Roland
Barthes always wanted to be a novelist along with an essayist.
Unfortunately, he died before he
could do it. While for Eco, it happened by accident but novel writing satisfied
his hunger for narration.
Passage – Mukund: Talking about novels, from being a famous academic you
went on to becoming spectacularly famous after the publication of The Name of
the Rose. You’ve written five novels against many more scholarly works of
non-fiction, at least more than 20 of them.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Pointing out
his novels, Mukund mentioned that he became astoundingly famous after the
publication of The Name of the Rose. From a famous academic, he went on to
become a famous novelist though he had written many more scholarly works (20)
than novels (5).
Passage – Mukund: Over 40! Among them a seminal piece of work on
semiotics. But ask most people about Umberto Eco and they will say, “Oh, he’s
the novelist.” Does that bother you?
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Amazed at hearing
about Eco’s over 40 scholarly articles, one of which was on the study of signs
(semiotics), he asked if he was at all bothered when people remembered him as
the famous novelist.
Passage – Umberto Eco: Yes. Because I consider myself a university professor
who writes novels on Sundays. It’s not a joke. I participate in academic
conferences and not meetings of Pen Clubs and writers. I identify myself with
the academic community. But okay, if they [most people] have read only the
novels… (laughs and shrugs). I know that by writing novels, I reach a larger
audience. I cannot expect to have one million readers with stuff on semiotics.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Umberto Eco
replied to Mukund by accepting that yes, it did bother him being identified as
a novelist. Umberto, on the other hand, identified himself with the academic
community because he considered himself a university professor who wrote novels
only on Sundays. He also attended academic conferences as opposed to Pen clubs
and writer’s meetings. But on the other hand, Eco accepted that he was
well-aware that by writing novels, he was reaching a wider audience because one
million people would not obviously be interested in stuff on semiotics.
Passage – Mukund: This brings me to my next question. The Name of the Rose
is a very serious novel. It’s a detective yarn at one level but it also delves
into metaphysics, theology, and medieval history. Yet it enjoyed a huge mass
audience. Were you puzzled at all by this?
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Mukund
changed the topic and mentioned that The Name of the Rose was a very serious
novel and still it managed to attract a large audience. It dealt with detective
stuff and also metaphysics, theology and medieval history. He asked Umberto if
he was at all surprised by his success.
Passage – Umberto Eco: No. Journalists are puzzled. And sometimes
publishers. And this is because journalists and publishers believe that people
like trash and don’t like difficult reading experiences. Consider there are six
billion people on this planet. The Name of the Rose sold between 10 and 15
million copies. So in a way I reached only a small percentage of readers. But
it is exactly these kinds of readers who don’t want easy experiences. Or at
least don’t always want this. I myself, at 9 pm after dinner, watch television
and want to see either ‘Miami Vice’ or ‘Emergency Room’. I enjoy it and I need
it. But not all day.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Umberto
replied that he was not at all surprised. The only people who were surprised
were journalists and publishers. This was because it was commonly believed that
people liked easy-reading experiences and trash while the truth was that
through his novel, he reached that small percentage of the population who liked
challenging reading experiences. He understood this because he himself yearned
to watch shows like ‘Miami Vice’ or ‘Emergency Room’ after dinner but not all
day long.
Passage – Mukund: Could the huge success of the novel have anything to do
with the fact that it dealt with a period of medieval history that…
Explanation of
the Above Passage – He asked
Umberto about the possibility of success of the novel having to do something
with its association with medieval history.
Passage – Umberto Eco: That’s possible. But let me tell you another story,
because I often tell stories like a Chinese wise man. My American publisher
said while she loved my book, she didn’t expect to sell more than 3,000 copies
in a country where nobody has seen a cathedral or studies Latin. So I was given
an advance for 3,000 copies, but in the end it sold two or three million in the
U.S. A lot of books have been written about the medieval past far before mine.
I think the success of the book is a mystery. Nobody can predict it. I think if
I had written The Name of the Rose ten years earlier or ten years later, it
wouldn’t have been the same. Why it worked at that time is a mystery.
Explanation of
the Above Passage – Umberto did
not negate the possibility as he began to tell a story, which he thought that
he did like a Chinese wise old man. He mentioned that his American publisher
expected not to sell more than 3,000 copies as in a country like hers, no one
had ever seen a cathedral or studied Latin language. To their surprise, they
ended up selling around two or three million copies. Umberto considered the
success of his book a mystery. Had it been written ten years earlier or later,
the situation would have been different.
The Interview 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.
. 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.
