English: Class 12 (Book 2) — Chapter 7: The Interview

• The Positive View: In its highest form, the interview is hailed as a source of truth and a highly skilled art. It serves as a supreme medium of communication, offering the public vivid and direct impressions of contemporaries.
• The Negative View: Often despised by celebrities who view themselves as its victims. It is perceived as an unwarranted intrusion into personal privacy that somehow diminishes the interviewee's persona.
• Primitive Belief Analogy: Some primitive cultures believe that taking a photographic portrait of a person is akin to stealing their soul; a similar anxiety exists among public figures regarding interviews.

“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.”

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Literary Interpretation & Contextual Significance: This excerpt from Caroline Kipling's diary (14 October 1892) captures Rudyard Kipling's extreme hostility toward the press after their day was 'wrecked by two reporters from Boston'. It highlights the intense psychological violation felt by public figures who equated journalistic pursuit with physical assault.

• H. G. Wells: Referred to interviewing as an 'ordeal' in 1894, yet was a frequent interviewee and eventually interviewed Joseph Stalin in 1934.
• Saul Bellow: Described interviews as being like 'thumbprints on his windpipe', suggesting a feeling of suffocation and loss of control.
• Denis Brian's Synthesis: Despite these criticisms, Brian notes that the interviewer holds unprecedented power because almost everything of moment reaches us through one person asking questions of another.

Eco explains how he manages to produce an immense volume of work across academic texts, essays, novels, and children's books by utilizing the hidden gaps in daily life.

“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... I work in empty spaces.”

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Literary Interpretation & Contextual Significance: Eco uses a scientific analogy of atomic structure to explain his time management. By writing during brief moments of waiting (e.g., waiting for an elevator to ascend), he transforms dead time into highly productive creative windows, illustrating his playful yet highly efficient approach to intellectual labor.

1. The Narrative Method: Eco traces his narrative style back to his doctoral dissertation. Unlike traditional scholars who present dry, depersonalized hypotheses and conclusions, Eco told the 'story of his research', including trials and errors.
2. Late Entry into Fiction: Because of his commitment to this narrative-scholarly style, Eco did not start writing novels until he was around 50 years old, describing his entry into fiction as an accident that satisfied his taste for narration.
3. Self-Perception: Eco strongly identifies as an academic scholar first. He states, “I consider myself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays.” He participates in academic conferences rather than Pen Clubs and writers' meetings.

• The Novel's Complexity: The Name of the Rose is a multi-layered book—a detective yarn at one level that also delves into metaphysics, theology, and medieval history.
• Mass Audience Paradox: Despite its difficulty, the book sold between 10 and 15 million copies worldwide. Eco attributes this to the fact that readers do not always want easy, trashy experiences; they appreciate intellectual challenges.
• The Element of Mystery: Eco concludes that the timing of the book's release was crucial. Had it been published ten years earlier or ten years later, its massive success might not have occurred. The exact reason for its success remains a mystery.

1. What are some of the positive views on interviews?
   Interviews are seen as a source of truth, an art form in practice, and a highly serviceable medium of communication that provides vivid impressions of contemporaries.
2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
   They view it as an unwarranted intrusion into their private lives, a process that diminishes their persona, or an ordeal that wounds them and takes away a part of their self.
3. What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
   They believe that taking a photographic portrait of someone is equivalent to stealing their soul.
4. What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?
   It is a metaphor for the choking, suffocating sensation of having one's privacy invaded and voice controlled by an interviewer.
5. Who, in today's world, is our chief source of information about personalities?
   The interviewer, who holds unprecedented power and influence by asking questions on behalf of the public.

• Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed?
  Yes, Eco appears highly cooperative, warm, and enthusiastic during the interview. Unlike other celebrities who despise the medium, Eco uses the opportunity to playfully explain his philosophical ideas, share personal anecdotes, and demystify his writing process.
• How does Eco find the time to write so much?
  He utilizes the “interstices”—the empty spaces or transition periods in his daily life, such as writing an article while waiting for an elevator to arrive.
• What was distinctive about Eco's academic writing style?
  It was highly narrative, personal, and playful. Instead of presenting dry, depersonalized academic findings, he told the story of his research, including his trials, errors, and intellectual journey.