The Limits of Interpretation

Accessible, irreverent literary criticism by one of the world's best-known novelist/scholars.

Focuses on what the author once called 'the cancer of uncontrolled interpretation' - that is, the belief that many interpreters have gone too far in their domination of texts, thereby destroying meaning and the basis for communication. This book begins with four theoretical essays dealing with various aspects of interpretive theory.

"Eco's essays read like letters from a friend, trying to share something he loves with someone he likes. . . . Read this brilliant, enjoyable, and possibly revolutionary book." —George J. Leonard, San Francisco Review of Books
" . . . a wealth of insight and instruction." —J. O. Tate, National Review
"If anyone can make [semiotics] clear, it's Professor Eco. . . . Professor Eco's theme deserves respect; language should be used to communicate more easily without literary border guards." —The New York Times
"The limits of interpretation mark the limits of our world. Umberto Eco's new collection of essays touches deftly on such matters." —Times Literary Supplement
"It is a careful and challenging collection of essays that broach topics rarely considered with any seriousness by literary theorists." —Diacritics
Umberto Eco focuses here on what he once called "the cancer of uncontrolled interpretation"—that is, the belief that many interpreters have gone too far in their domination of texts, thereby destroying meaning and the basis for communication.