The Name of the Rose is filled with literary, historical, and philosophical allusions. Use "An Annotated Guide to the Historical and Literary References in The Name of the Rose" in The Key to "The Name of the Rose" (1999) by Adele J. Haft, Jane G. White, and Robert J. White, to select one or more significant historical figures to research. How does Eco draw on this figure in his novel?

Most critics agree that Edgar Allan Poe is the father of the detective story. Read "Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Purloined Letter," and "The Mystery of Marie Roget" by Poe, stories that all feature his detective, C. Auguste Dupin. Identify the most striking conventions of the detective story. What do readers expect to find when they read a mystery? How does Eco meet or subvert these expectations? How does reading Poe change...