The
metaphor of `library' is an epistemological conceit,
which focuses primarily on the image of the librarian
and explores its representation vis-a-vis a perceived
stereotype. Much of the critical analysis of the library
as an institution of fear centers on Umberto Eco's library
in The Name of the Rose. It is a detective story,
a mystery, set in 14th century European monastery,
and its setting is a labyrinth of secret chambers, imposing
doors, and booby traps. In The Name of the Rose
it is like a crypt, a prison, or an institution of fear,
partly because of the genre of the work. In The Name
of the Rose, the greatest value is assigned to books.
The mission of the abbey-preservation of knowledge versus
search for knowledge-also addresses one of the major
intellectual debates of librarianship-the role of the
library as a producer of knowledge and truth. By semiotizing
it across genres and historical settings, The Name
of the Rose appears remarkably attuned to the debates
that are of vital importance to librarianship today.
The sign of the library in The Name of the Rose
is a sign of cultural subversion and difference rather
than conformity, order, and discipline. Umberto Eco
is apparently fascinated with mazes. The medieval library
is a labyrinth designed to confuse any imprudent violator
of the secrets of knowledge. It was also a punishment
for those who, without being initiated, dare to pass
the limit set for common men. Eco seems to be implying
that modern humanity seeks to become all-powerful, all-knowing,
and in doing so steps out of the allowed limits, thus
incurring punishment. The present paper examines whether
our post-modern society is subject to deceit or will
it ever resolve the dichotomies between truth and falsehood,
assurance and doubt, trust and deception.
The
metaphor of `library' is an epistemological conceit
that developed during the 19th and 20th centuries into an attack on attempts to meaningfully
describe the world by viewing it through the structures
provided by a limited number of concepts or written
texts. The most rudimentary forms of the image of the
library go back to the Romans, and the first full-blown
version appeared in the 19th century. The
image of the library and, more frequently, that of the
librarian in popular culture, the media, and professional
literature has been the subject of a debate that is
almost a century old now. On the one side are those
who hold that popular culture representations of librarians
and libraries are degradingly stereotypical; on the
other side are those who look for "positive"
images of librarianship. Most of the works that focus
on popular culture deal primarily with the image of
the librarian and explore its representation vis-a-vis
a perceived stereotype. The majority argue that the
representation of the librarian, be it female or male,
is overwhelmingly stereotypical and emphasizes negative
features such as lack of imagination, dowdy appearance,
excessive orderliness, indecisiveness, and generally,
a "mousy" character. At the other end of the
negative stereotype is the Nazi librarian who guards
the books he or she is entrusted with to the point of
absurdity and whose sole purpose in life is the humiliation
of the main character. On the other hand, those who
attempt to uncover "positive" representations
of librarians in popular culture, sometimes stretching
a point in their zeal, occasionally also point to the
complicity of the profession in the perpetuation of
the stereotypes. |
