The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason, is seen as the beginning of modern depravity.
Umberto EcoRead
In the Middle Ages, cathendrals and convents burned like tinder; imagining a medieval story without a fire is like imagining a World War II movie in the Pacific without a fighter plane shot down in flames.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the prevalence and impact of destruction in historical narratives, particularly through fire.
Umberto Eco uses a vivid comparison to illustrate how fire has been a prominent element in the narratives of the Middle Ages and World War II. He argues that just as one cannot envision a medieval story without the dramatic imagery of burning cathedrals, one cannot imagine the stories of World War II in the Pacific without the iconic scenes of fighter planes being shot down in flames, indicating the pervasive theme of destruction in historical storytelling.
Themes
HistoryFireWarDestructionNarrative
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a historical discussion to highlight the role of destruction in shaping narratives.
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All quotes →I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early poetry, and bad poets publish it. Thankfully I gave up rather quickly.
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But why do some people support [the heretics]?" "Because it serves their purposes, which concern the faith rarely, and more often the conquest of power." "Is that why the church of Rome accuses all its adversaries of heresy?" "That is why, and that is also why it recognizes as orthodoxy any heresy it can bring back under its own control or must accept because the heresy has become too strong.
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You die, but most of what you have accumulated will not be lost; you are leaving a message in a bottle.
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"Then we are living in a place abandoned by God," I said, disheartened. "Have you found any places where God would have felt at home?" William asked me, looking down from his great height.
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The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration, and by the fact that sooner or later he brings up the Templars.
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