Series : AS/ENG-SM-2/22-23
Code : 301
J.P.S Rudrapur
Learn, succeed and lead
QUESTIONS INTERVIEW
Ques1: What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being
photographed?
Answer: Some primitive cultures believed that getting oneself photographed
would rob them of their souls.
Ques2: What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his
windpipe”?
Answer: “Thumbprints on his windpipe” means to choke or suffocate
somebody by applying pressure on his throat. Saul Bellow uses this expression
to refer to the pressure and discomfort felt by a celebrity while giving an
interview.
Ques3: Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about
personalities?
Answer: Interviews help us know our contemporaries and their opinions. They
serve as a means of communication between the celebrities and the audience. In
this case, the interviewer is endowed with a very special power and he becomes
our chief source of information about personalities.
Ques4: Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons
for your opinion.
Answer: Yes, Umberto Eco, in all possibilities, likes being interviewed. He
readily answers every question asked by Mukund Padmanabhan in an energetic
and lively manner. He does not seem apprehensive about sharing his secrets,
experiences and opinions with the interviewer, and consequently, the world.
There is no indication throughout the interview that he dislikes being
interviewed.
Ques5: How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer: During the interview, Mukund Padmanabhan reiterates David Lodge’s
astonishment on Umberto Eco’s large amount of works and how he manages to
write them all. Eco replies that just like the universe has empty spaces, our lives
too, have a lot of empty spaces or ‘interstices’, as he calls them. Whenever he
has a few moments to spare in between two different tasks, instead of wasting
them, he uses the time to write. He even gives an example of his working
technique. He says that while waiting for someone to come up the elevator he
keeps himself busy
Ques6: What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer: Eco’s writing style is strikingly different from that of the standard
academic model. The academicians first make a thorough research, then move
on to prove their hypotheses, and finally, give their conclusion on that subject.
The final outcome, therefore, comes out as tedious. Eco, on the other hand, tells
the story of his research, including his “trials and errors”. While the scholars
usually use a very depersonalized and dull manner, Eco’s style is personalised
and playful, and in the form of a narrative.
Ques7: Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic
scholar?
Answer: During the interview, Mukund Padmanabhan reiterates David Lodge’s
astonishment on Umberto Eco’s large amount of works and how he manages to
write them all. Eco replies that just like the universe has empty spaces, our lives
too, have a lot of empty spaces or ‘interstices’, as he calls them. Whenever he
has a few moments to spare in between two different tasks, instead of wasting
them, he uses the time to write. He even gives an example of his working
technique. He says that while waiting for someone to come up the elevator he
keeps himself busy