CBSE Class 12 English The Interview Worksheet Set B

 

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 writer Umberto Eco. 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 criticizing 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. Celebrities like V.S. Naipaul, Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll and H.G. Wells have expressed their strong despise for interviews. They consider interviews immoral -„an assault‟ because they feel interviews leave a rather disparaging effect on their personalities and are an encroachment on their privacy.

 

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.

 

Umberto Eco Interviewed – Umberto Eco Professor of Semiotics – Author of Academic Books

 

– More than 40 books! – Author of the Best Seller, “The Name of the Rose”

 

• Mukund – Sir, how do you manage time to write and teach and research?

“I work in interstices or empty spaces.”

 

• Mukund – Sir, how do you make your academic books interesting to reader?

“I write my academic books as novels.”

 

• How did you start writing novels?

“Accidentally! But it worked.”

 

• While writing the Name of the Rose, were you puzzled?

“No, but my publishers were puzzled.”

 

• What is the mystery of the success of the novel?

“It is still a mystery, but time of its publication matters a lot.

 

 

• Interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Opinions on the functions, methods and merits of Interview vary considerably.

 

• Some claim it to be the highest form, a source of truth and in its practice an art.

 

• Some despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into lives, which diminishes their personality.

 

• S. Naipaul feels that „some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.‟

 

• Lewis Carroll never consented to be interviewed for he believed it to be „a just horror of the interviewer‟.

 

• Rudyard Kipling considered it „immoral, a crime, an assault that merits punishment‟.

 

• G. Wells referred interviewing to be an „ordeal‟.

 

• Saul Bellow describes it „like thumbprints on his windpipe‟.

 

• Despite the drawbacks interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication.Interviews are the most vivid impression of our contemporaries and the interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence.

 

 

• An extract from an interview of Umberto Eco interviewed by Mukund Padmanabhan.

 

• Umberto Eco was a professor with a formidable reputation as a scholar for his ideas on Semiotics, literary interpretation and medieval aesthetics before he turned into writing literary fiction. He attained intellectual superstardom with his publication “The Name of the Rose”.

 

• In the interview Eco shares his idea of empty spaces in our lives just as they exist in an atom,which he calls Interstices. He says that he makes use of these empty spaces to work.

 

• Eco‟s essays were scholarly and narrative. He likes to be identified more as a university professor who writes novels.

 

• Eco‟s „The Name of the Rose”, a serious novel, which delves into metaphysics, theology and medieval history, enjoyed a mass audience. It dealt with medieval past. He feels that the novel wouldn‟t have been so well received had it been written ten years earlier or later

Terms to Remember

 

• VS Naipaul – “Wounded by interviews”

 

• Lewis Carroll – “Fear for the interviewer”

 

• Rudyard Kipling – “Hatred for interviewer/attack/assault/theft/indecent/punishable”

 

• HG Wells – “Ordeal/unpleasant experience”

 

• Soul Bellow – “Thumb prints on windpipe”

 

• Denis Brian – “Serviceable medium of communication between the celebrities and the ordinary people. Inspiration.”

 

 

1) „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 unwanted intrusion into their lives….‟

a) What is „it‟ referred here?

b) How is „it‟ described in the above lines?

c) Who might despise and why?

d) Who is the narrator? Where does the narration appear?

 

2) 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 nonviolence and peace…you see, the same bunch of ethical, philosophical interests.

a) Who is the speaker in the above lines?

b) Whom is the speaker speaking to ?

c) How does the speaker pursue his philosophical interests?

d) What are his books for children about?

 

Questions Based On Extracts:

1) “It is cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give it”

Question. How did the speaker act contrary to his statement?
Answer: He has conducted an interview. 

Question. Who was the victim then?
Answer: He interviewed Mark Twain.

Question. Who is the speaker?
Answer: The speaker is Rudyard Kipling. 

Question. What does the speaker refer to?
Answer: The speaker refers to Interview. 

2)“I can’t understand how one man can do all the things he does”

Question. How does’ he’ manage to do many things ?
Answer: He managed to do many things by following a bunch of ethical and philosophical interests in everything that he writes. and by working in interstices

Question. What are the many things that ‘he’ does?
Answer: He was a professor, an academic writer, writer of children’s story books and the author of the best seller ‘Name of the Rose’.

Question. Who makes this remark?
Answer: The English novelist and academic David Lodge made this remark.

Question. Whom does he refer to?
Answer: He referred to Umberto ECO.

 

 

Question. 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.

Question. 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.

Question. What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Answer: Interview, in the 130 years of its existence, has become an inherent part of journalism. It is a useful means of communication that is, at times, considered to be an art, serving as a source of truth. Denis Brian has stated that in today’s world we get to know “our contemporaries” through their interviews.

Question. 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.

Question. How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer: Whenever Eco has a few moments to spare in between two different tasks, instead of wasting them, he uses the time to write. Eco explains that just like the universe has empty spaces, our lives too, have a lot of empty spaces or ‘interstices’, as he calls them. 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.

Question. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer: Eco’s writing style is strikingly different from that of the standard academic mode. 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 depersonalised and dull manner, Eco’s style is personalised and playful, and in the form of a narrative.

Question. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Answer: Celebrity writers believe that interviews unduly interfere in their private lives. They regard themselves as victims of interviews. They claim that the interview in some way ‘diminishes’ them, just like some ancient cultures believed that a portrait of a person takes away his soul. Certain celebrities like V.S Naipaul have claimed that interviews leave them wounded, while others like Rudyard Kipling have referred to it as a crime and an immoral act.

Question. 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.

Answer: 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 si idle. He considers himself a scholar who writes novels on Sundays.

 

Answer: 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.

 

Answer: 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.

 

Answer: 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 audience.

 

Answer: Umberto Eco is famous for his books on semiotics and popular for his novel. Besides, he deals with literary interpretation, medieval aesthetics, literary fiction, academic texts, essays,children‟s books, newspaper articles, etc. This quality of being at the same time able to handle such a wide range of subjects as a writer enabled him to acquire the equivalent of intellectual superstardom.

 

 

Answer: Umberto Eco was essentially an academician who pursued his scholarly pursuits through academic writings. He wrote about forty nonfictions and as he himself says, „he became a novelist by accident‟. That was the reason he started writing novels at the age of almost fifty.

Eco considers himself „a university professor who writes novels (only) on Sundays‟. He is not even very sure about any one single reason for the huge success of his novel „The Name of the Rose‟. He feels perhaps the timing of the novel‟s publication was the most important factor of its success. The fact that at one level it appears to be a detective yarn but also delves into metaphysics; theology and medieval history also adds to its appeal. Though the novel is quite a heavy reading experience, it attracted a mass audience and made Eco popular more as a novelist rather than an academic scholar.

 

Answer: Umberto Eco‟s style is narrative, written in the manner of a story. This is in contrast to a regular academic style which is invariably depersonalized, dry and boring. His scholarly work has a certain playful and personal quality to it. He pursued his philosophical interests through his academic work and novels. He also wrote books for children on non-violence and peace. Umberto Eco, a professor at the University of Bologna, in Italy, is an authority on Semeiotics, the study of signs. He is also a well-known novelist. His scholarly works include academictexts, essays, childrens‟ books and newspaper articles. He pursues his philosophical interests through his academic writings and novels. In spite of having reached the zeniths of intellectuality, Eco is a humble and modest scholar. He brushes aside compliments and never boasts about his achievements. He is keen to share his experiences with others and shares the secret of accomplishing so much work by revealing the facts that he makes use of time- gaps between different pieces of work. Eco follows an informal and playful style of writing with a narrative aspect. Even his research work has a quality of creative writing and makes informative as well as interesting reading.

 

 

 

1. “The Name of the Rose” deals with medieval history. Was it responsible for the novel‟s success?

 

2. What drawbacks of interviews have been pointed out by Lewis Carrol?

 

3. Explain Eco‟s theory of interstices.

 

4. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?

 

5. What are some of the positive views on interviews?

 

6. What make Rudyard Kipling condemn being interviewed?

 

7. What is the irony in Eco‟s statement, „I am a professor who writes novels on Sundays?‟

 

8. What does Saul Bellow mean by saying that „interviews were thumbprints on his windpipe?‟

 

9. How does Eco balance his botheration of being overshadowed by the fame of a novelist?

 

10. Why does Eco admit that the reason behind the success of the Name of the Rose was a ‘mystery?’