Focuses on what the author once called 'the cancer of uncontrolled interpretation' - that is, the belief that many interpreters have gone too far in their domination of texts, thereby destroying meaning and the basis for communication. This book begins with four theoretical essays dealing with various aspects of interpretive theory.

Introduction 1. Two Models of Interpretation 2. Unlimited Semiosis and Drift Pragmaticism vs. "Pragmatism" 3. Intentio Lectoris: The State of the Art 4. Small Worlds 5. Interpreting Serials 6. Interpreting Drama 7. Interpreting Animals 8. A Portrait of the Elder as a Young Pliny 9. Joyce, Semiosis, and Semiotics 10. Abduction in Uqbar 11. Pirandello Ridens 12. Fakes and Forgeries 13. Semantics, Pragmatics, and Text Semiotics 14. Presuppositions 15. On Truth: A Fiction References Index

"Instead of that tone of constipated envy we associate with criticism, Eco's essays read like letters from a friend, trying to share something he loves with someone he likes. Try it, you'll like it, it's easy, you can understand it. He doesn't teach, he shares... Read this brilliant, enjoyable, and possibly revolutionary book. --George J. Leonard, San Francisco Review of Books "... this book discourses brilliantly on Pirandello, on Joyce, on Borges, and rewards the attention paid to it with a wealth of insight and instruction." --J. O. Tate, National Review "Eco's essays read like letters from a friend, trying to share something he loves with someone he likes... Read this brilliant, enjoyable, and possibly revolutionary book." George J. Leonard, San Francisco Review of Books "If anyone can make [semiotics] clear, it's Professor Eco... Professor Eco's theme deserves respect; language should be used to communicate more easily without literary border guards." The New York Times "The limits of interpretation mark the limits of our world. Umberto Eco's new collection of essays touches deftly on such matters." Times Literary Supplement "It is a careful and challenging collection of essays that broach topics rarely considered with any seriousness by literary theorists." Diacritics