Umberto Eco - Open Works

The Poetics of the Open Works by Umberto Eco is a written response to a selection of modern (primarily musical) pieces in the year of 1962. To start off with I found reading this text very challenging due to the elaborate language used and therefore was required to look into the meanings for each of these I didn’t understand. However once I got halfway through the text it began to read easier, this may be due to my further understanding from tackling the first half and also the repetition of points noticed throughout the text.

In the previous Seminar we were introduced to the text and asked to create an overview of no more then 125 words. This was a small challenge as to see our writing styles and understanding of the topic.

Below is my overview of the text.

My Understanding - 125 word limit overview

In essence the poetics of the open work is investigating and contrasting different elements and features seen within art, music, performance and the written word. The features in question are that of the flexibility between creation and its audience, the interaction and addition of its audience’s perspective. This is aided through an ambiguity seen within works of art though certain elements and devices used within such will guide the viewer still towards certain viewpoints though vague they may seem. The fluid nature of such interpretations can re-enforce the connection between audience and performance in the way that any clues they see within a piece will be related to their own personal experience therefore investing their own ideas and emotion into the outcome of the piece.