Umberto Eco's novel The Name of the Rose provides a distinctive example of what has been called semiomimesis: the creative appropriation and exploitation of narrative moments within semiotic theory for the production of art. This essay defines what constitutes this type of art by closely examining Eco's novel as an illustrative specimen of this subgenre. In doing so, the essay details crucial semiotic teachings, notably by Roger Bacon and William of Ockham, embedded in the novel, in order to qualify what thus far has received little critical notice beyond more or less rough intimations. The essay's objective is to enable a better understanding of both the novel's semiotic framework and the creative processes involved in the artistic production.
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