Abstract

The subject of this article is bibliological reflection on Umberto Eco’s novel. Its storyline is a pretext for asking the questions about the reader’s identity. Is human the sum of all the texts one has read? What is the importance of books for constructing the self? How does the printed text influence its reception, given the location of literature in the context of mass culture? Moreover, the article reflects on the role of illustrations in literature as well as on the way in which illustrations function in a printed text. Furthermore, the article investigates the roles of pictures and their importance for the composition of storyline. Umberto Eco’s novel is seen here as a hypertextual book.