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Book Reviews145 literary value? Yes, he decides, if it is postmodern, that is, if the past is revisited "with irony, not innocently" (67). And can a historical detective novel give pleasure but not be escapist? Again, yes, because "capturing readers' dreams does not necessarily mean encouraging escape; it can also mean haunting them" (72). Both The Name ofthe Rose and its Postscript raise ghosts of mysteries past and present. Old Adso warned that in his narrative he was leaving "signs of signs, so that the prayer of deciphering may be exercised upon them" (11). And Eco-Adso would not keep us from prayer. Postscript contains eleven black and white photographs of manuscript illuminations and relief sculptures described in Name, with corresponding quotations from the novel. The subjects and quotes are appropriately chosen, but the photos are of poor quality, and some are taken too far away to show the details referred to in the text. The jacket cover of Postscript reproduces a miniature from an illuminated Apocalypse showing a scene of destruction of which a detail was the jacket cover for Name. Although the scene is certainly appropriate to the novel, a more fitting cover for Postscript would have been one of the many medieval portraits of an author, stylus or pen in one hand, the other resting on a page of one of many books, open and closed, which surround him. Perhaps a Holmsian magnifying glass is next to him on the lectern, for Eco leaves us with a "Moral: there exist obsessive ideas, they are never personal; books talk among themselves, and any true detection should prove that we are the guilty party" (81). JENNIFER LEE Concord, New Hampshire MIMI REISEL GLADSTEIN. The Ayn Rand Companion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984. 130 p. Ayn Rand's philosophy evokes no lukewarm opinions. People either idolize her philosophical position, praising it for the keen insights it provides into politics, economics, and psychology, or vilify her theory of "objectivism," considering it at best self-centered and naive. The same is true of critical judgments of her work. Some literary critics, such as N. L. Rothman, see Rand as a careful craftsperson, capable of evoking in her fiction dramatic power and intense passion; others, such as Diana Trilling, see Rand as an overwrought , melodramatic writer whose best work is, ultimately, minor. Gladstein attempts in this short volume to present an unbiased companion to Rand's work that will "contribute to research resources rather than engage in polemics"(4). Gladstein does avoid excessive praise or condemnation of Rand as either a philosopher or a novelist, but the cost of her objectivity is high. The book's five brief chapters introduce readers to Rand's life, fiction, characters, nonfiction, and criticism of her philosophy and writing. The brief biographical chapter outlines Rand's early life, her marriage, her commitment to capitalism, and her friendship with and subsequent repudiation of Nathaniel and Barbara Branden. Gladstein attempts to show how events in Rand's life, particularly her childhood in Russia, her work in Hollywood, and 146Book Reviews her association with the Brandens, were catalysts for her philosophy. Unfortunately , Gladstein doesn't support these connections — she only asserts them. The chapters on Rand's fiction, characters, and nonfiction give, respectively , plot outlines, physical descriptions of most important characters in her novels, and summaries of her nonfiction. Gladstein correctly notes that a detailed analysis of Rand's major themes would need more attention than should be expected in a companion book. Therefore, Gladstein can only sketch how Rand, in her fiction and nonfiction, denigrates altruism and sycophancy and values independence, individuality, and creativity. The chapter on criticism of Rand's works is interesting if frustrating: Gladstein objectively but superficially summarizes the major published critical sources on Rand. Her complaints about Rand criticism are well taken. Much of it is written by detractors or adherents of Rand's philosophy, much of it is shallow, and much of it does deride Rand's "selfish" philosophy without serious consideration of her as a writer. As a companion, Gladstein's book is partially successful. It is well suited for casual readers, readers who have not read Rand's work, or readers who...

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