what or who is 'the rose' in umberto eco's 'the name of the rose'?

Answer 1

In the title of his novel Umberto Eco alludes to an important debate that took place in the age in which the plot is set. The debate developed around the real existence of the universalities. The line which closes the novel is from the poem of a benedictine monk from the 12th century. The line provides the name's (that of the rose) nominalist interpretation that denies the real existence of the words. The debate was not the invention of the middle age. It originates from the antiquity, from Plato and Aristotle's debate, which was enriched by the later christian interpretations.
The atmosphere of the book, the underlying conflicts between thoughts, ideas and beliefs and the philosophycal implications of the novel have their origin in this dispute.
Great book!
(And I was happy about the question.)

Answer 2

However Zizi is right. The name is that of a girl but this is only an excuse to enter into the laberynth of a name, just as the library is a maze, and so are the books, and the mysteries around them, and the only female touch the narrator experience in his long life as a monk. I didn't see Zizi as being arrogant but insightful.

Answer 3

It's the name of the girl a young monk falls in love with.

Answer 4

Why is Zizi so arrogant? It was enough to mention the female character.