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The Interview

NCERT Class 12 · English Based on NCERT Class 12 English textbook · Free CBSE study kit

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Chapter Notes

Overview
This chapter explores the interview as a journalistic genre, presenting both its merits as a source of truth and art, and its criticisms as an intrusive and diminishing act. It is divided into two parts: Part I discusses the history and varied opinions on interviews, including the condemnatory views of writers like Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, and Saul Bellow, while Part II is an interview with Umberto Eco, where he discusses his prolific output, his academic style, and the mystery behind the success of his novel 'The Name of the Rose'. The one big idea a student must walk away with is that the interview is a powerful, serviceable medium of communication that can be both revered and despised, and that understanding its nuances is key to analyzing its role in modern journalism.
Key Concepts (15)
Interview
A commonplace of journalism, invented a little over 130 years ago, where one person asks questions of another to gather information, opinions, or impressions.
e.g. A student reading a celebrity interview in a newspaper to learn about their life and work.
Source of truth
A view that, in its highest form, the interview is a means of revealing factual and authentic information.
e.g. A journalist interviewing a scientist to get accurate details about a new discovery.
Art
A view that the interview, in its practice, is a creative and skillful performance.
e.g. An interviewer crafting questions that elicit deep, thoughtful responses from a reclusive author.
Unwarranted intrusion
The feeling among some celebrities that being interviewed is an unjustified invasion of their private lives.
e.g. A famous actor feeling that an interviewer's questions about their family are too personal and invasive.
Diminishes them
The belief that being interviewed somehow reduces a person's stature or worth, similar to the primitive belief that a photograph steals a person's soul.
e.g. A writer feeling that after an interview, they have lost a part of their mystique or privacy.
Lionized
To be treated as a celebrity or object of great interest; Lewis Carroll had a 'just horror' of being lionized, which made him repel interviewers.
e.g. A new author being lionized at a book launch, surrounded by fans and media.
Immoral
Rudyard Kipling's view of being interviewed, equating it to a crime and an assault on his person.
e.g. Kipling telling reporters that asking for an interview is as vile as committing an offence against his person.
Interviewing ordeal
H.G. Wells' term for the experience of being interviewed, though he was a frequent interviewee.
e.g. A nervous celebrity describing their upcoming press interview as an 'interviewing ordeal'.
Thumbprints on his windpipe
Saul Bellow's metaphor describing interviews as a suffocating, oppressive, and uncomfortable experience.
e.g. A musician saying that every interview feels like someone is pressing on their throat, making it hard to breathe.
Supremely serviceable medium of communication
Despite its drawbacks, the interview is an extremely useful and effective way to convey information and impressions.
e.g. Television interviews providing vivid, immediate impressions of political leaders during an election campaign.
Unprecedented power and influence
The position held by the interviewer, as most important information reaches us through one person asking questions of another.
e.g. A talk-show host shaping public opinion by the way they question a guest.
Interstices
Empty spaces in one's life or schedule that can be utilized productively; Umberto Eco's secret to writing so much.
e.g. Writing a paragraph while waiting for a friend in a coffee shop, using that 'empty space' productively.
Narrative aspect
A distinctive feature of Eco's academic writing style, where he tells the story of his research, including trials and errors, rather than just presenting conclusions.
e.g. A history professor writing a textbook that reads like a detective story, explaining how they discovered each fact.
Semiotics
The study of signs; a field in which Umberto Eco had a formidable reputation as a scholar.
e.g. Analyzing a traffic light as a sign system where red means stop and green means go.
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco's first novel, published in 1980, which sold more than 10 million copies and made him an intellectual superstar.
e.g. A student reading this medieval detective novel for a literature class, finding it both entertaining and philosophical.
How It Works
How Umberto Eco finds time to write so much
  1. Step 1: Identify 'interstices' or empty spaces in your daily schedule, such as waiting for an elevator.
  2. Step 2: Use these small, otherwise wasted moments to work productively, e.g., writing an article while waiting.
  3. Step 3: Consistently apply this approach to accumulate significant output over time.
💡 Students often think Eco had more free time; the key is that he used tiny, fragmented moments, not large blocks of time.
How Eco developed his distinctive academic writing style
  1. Step 1: Present your first doctoral dissertation in a narrative form, telling the story of your research including trials and errors.
  2. Step 2: Receive feedback from a professor who recognizes the value of this approach.
  3. Step 3: Publish the dissertation as a book, confirming that scholarly books can have a narrative aspect.
  4. Step 4: Apply this narrative technique to all subsequent essays and non-fiction writing.
💡 The key is that Eco's style was not accidental; it was a conscious choice validated early in his career.
How an interview functions as a medium of communication
  1. Step 1: An interviewer asks questions of an interviewee (often a celebrity or expert).
  2. Step 2: The interviewee responds, providing information, opinions, or impressions.
  3. Step 3: The exchange is recorded (print, radio, or television) and disseminated to a wider audience.
  4. Step 4: The audience forms vivid impressions of the interviewee based on this mediated interaction.
💡 The interviewer holds unprecedented power and influence because they control the questions and frame the narrative.
Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes
⚠ Confusing 'interstices' with 'interviews'
✗ Eco uses interviews to find time to write.
→ The word 'interstices' refers to empty spaces in time, not interviews. Students often misread the term due to phonetic similarity.
✓ Eco uses 'interstices' — the empty spaces in his daily schedule, like waiting for an elevator — to write articles.
⚠ Misattributing the 'thumbprints on his windpipe' quote
✗ Rudyard Kipling described interviews as thumbprints on his windpipe.
→ The quote is attributed to Saul Bellow, not Kipling. Kipling called interviews 'immoral' and a 'crime'.
✓ Saul Bellow described interviews as being 'like thumbprints on his windpipe'.
⚠ Thinking Eco was primarily a novelist
✗ Umberto Eco considered himself a novelist first.
→ Eco explicitly says, 'I consider myself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays.' He identifies with the academic community, not the writers' community.
✓ Umberto Eco considered himself a university professor and academic scholar first, and a novelist second.
⚠ Believing Eco was puzzled by the success of 'The Name of the Rose'
✗ Eco was puzzled by the huge success of his novel.
→ Eco says, 'No. Journalists are puzzled.' He himself was not puzzled; he believed there were readers who wanted difficult reading experiences.
✓ Eco was not puzzled by the success; he attributed it to readers who do not always want easy experiences and called the success a 'mystery' that cannot be predicted.
⚠ Confusing Lewis Carroll's and Rudyard Kipling's views on interviews
✗ Lewis Carroll called interviews immoral and a crime.
→ Lewis Carroll had a 'just horror of the interviewer' and never consented to be interviewed, but the 'immoral' and 'crime' language is from Rudyard Kipling.
✓ Lewis Carroll had a horror of being lionized and never consented to be interviewed, while Rudyard Kipling called interviews 'immoral' and a 'crime'.
Compare & Contrast
Perception of the interview's value and impact
Positive view of interviews
Negative view of interviews
Positive views see interviews as a source of truth and an art form, while negative views see them as an unwarranted intrusion that diminishes the interviewee, like stealing a soul.
Approach to presenting scholarly work
Umberto Eco's academic writing style
Regular academic writing style
Eco's style is narrative and personal, telling the story of his research including trials and errors, whereas regular academic style is depersonalized, dry, and boring, presenting only conclusions.
Exam Focus
Marks pattern: 1-2 MCQs (1 mark each) on factual recall of celebrity views or quotes, 1 Short Answer (2-3 marks) on Eco's writing style or use of interstices, 1 Long Answer (5 marks) on the debate about interviews as a medium or on Eco's approach to writing and success.
Most asked: Views of celebrities (Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, Saul Bellow) on interviews · Umberto Eco's use of 'interstices' to write so much · Eco's identity as a professor first, novelist second · The success of 'The Name of the Rose' as a mystery · The metaphor 'thumbprints on his windpipe'
Don't skip: Long answer question comparing positive and negative views of interviews with examples from the text.; Short answer question on how Umberto Eco manages to write so much (interstices).; Question on the significance of the metaphor 'thumbprints on his windpipe'.
One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)
  1. The interview has been a commonplace of journalism for over 130 years.
  2. Some view the interview as a source of truth and an art, while others see it as an unwarranted intrusion.
  3. Lewis Carroll had a 'just horror of the interviewer' and never consented to be interviewed.
  4. Rudyard Kipling called being interviewed 'immoral' and a 'crime'.
  5. Saul Bellow described interviews as being 'like thumbprints on his windpipe'.
  6. Denis Brian wrote that our most vivid impressions of contemporaries come through interviews.
  7. The interviewer holds a position of unprecedented power and influence.
  8. Umberto Eco uses 'interstices' — empty spaces in his schedule — to write.
  9. Eco's academic writing style is narrative, telling the story of his research.
  10. Umberto Eco considers himself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays.
  11. Eco was not puzzled by the success of 'The Name of the Rose'; he called it a mystery.
  12. Eco believes there are readers who want difficult reading experiences, not just trash.
  13. The interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication despite its drawbacks.
  14. In some primitive cultures, taking a photographic portrait is believed to steal a person's soul.

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. Based on the passage, which of the following best describes why some celebrities despise interviews?

  • A. They believe interviews are intrusions that diminish their identity, similar to beliefs that photography steals one's soul. ✓
  • B. They think interviews are too time-consuming and interfere with their professional work.
  • C. They have had negative experiences with specific journalists from Private Eye.
  • D. They believe interviews make them more famous than they wish to be.

Answer: A — The passage explicitly compares celebrity fear to primitive beliefs about photography stealing one's soul and states celebrities see interviews as unwanted intrusions that diminish them.

Q2. What is the primary contradiction in Rudyard Kipling's attitude towards interviews as presented in the text?

  • A. He refused interviews but consented to be interviewed by H.G. Wells.
  • B. He called interviews immoral and criminal assault, yet had interviewed Mark Twain himself years before. ✓
  • C. He believed interviews were cowardly but encouraged other writers to give interviews.
  • D. He wrote about interviews positively in his novels but refused them in real life.

Answer: B — Kipling condemned interviews as 'immoral crime' and 'assault' to Boston reporters, but the passage reveals he had perpetrated this same 'assault' on Mark Twain only years earlier, exposing his hypocrisy.

Q3. According to Denis Brian, what makes the interviewer's position one of 'unprecedented power and influence'?

  • A. Because most people cannot write or read interviews independently.
  • B. Because almost everything of moment reaches the public through interviews, making the interviewer a gatekeeper of information. ✓
  • C. Because celebrities have no choice but to consent to interviews.
  • D. Because interviews are the only form of journalism available to the public.

Answer: B — Brian explicitly states that because almost everything of moment reaches people through interviews, the interviewer controls what public understands about events and personalities.

Q4. What does Saul Bellow's metaphor 'thumbprints on his windpipe' suggest about the effect of interviews on celebrities?

  • A. Interviews are pleasant and leave a positive mark.
  • B. Interviews create lasting, suffocating marks that compress and constrain one's sense of identity. ✓
  • C. Interviews are as brief as a thumbprint and easily forgotten.
  • D. Interviews are violent acts that physically harm the person.

Answer: B — The metaphor of thumbprints on one's windpipe suggests compression, breathlessness, and lasting marks—indicating interviews leave suffocating psychological impressions on a person's identity.

Q5. Why did Umberto Eco's professor appreciate his doctoral dissertation despite its unconventional narrative style?

  • A. It was shorter than traditional dissertations.
  • B. The professor recognized that telling the story of research, including trials and errors, was a valid and valuable scholarly approach. ✓
  • C. The professor published it to make it more famous than other dissertations.
  • D. It was the first dissertation the professor had ever read.

Answer: B — Eco's professor initially noted the unconventional narrative approach but recognized it was right and published it as a book, validating the approach of showing the research process rather than just conclusions.

Q6. Which statement best explains how Eco manages to be productive across multiple genres and forms of writing?

  • A. He works twelve hours a day without any breaks or distractions.
  • B. He employs a team of assistants to write for him in different styles.
  • C. He uses 'interstices'—empty spaces in daily life—to work on projects, claiming he can write articles while waiting for an elevator. ✓
  • D. He focuses exclusively on one genre each year rather than working on multiple projects simultaneously.

Answer: C — Eco explicitly explains that he eliminates empty spaces in his life (interstices) by using waiting time productively, writing articles during elevator rides and other gaps in the day.

Q7. According to the passage, which is NOT a reason given for why interviews are valued as a medium of communication?

  • A. They are a source of truth in their highest form.
  • B. They function as an art form in journalistic practice.
  • C. They are the primary way people form impressions of contemporaries.
  • D. They eliminate the need for written journalism entirely. ✓

Answer: D — While the passage praises interviews' power and value, it never claims they eliminate written journalism; rather, it states interviews have become 'a commonplace' alongside other forms of journalism.

Q8. The passage presents both a positive and negative view of interviews. Which statement best represents the core tension between these views?

  • A. Some people believe interviews are artistic while others think journalism is unimportant.
  • B. Celebrities want interviews but journalists refuse to conduct them.
  • C. Interviews are valued as democratic access to truth (positive) versus intrusions into privacy and identity (negative). ✓
  • D. Interviews have existed for 130 years but only recently became controversial.

Answer: C — The passage contrasts scholars who value interviews as sources of truth and democratic communication with celebrities who see them as intrusive violations of privacy and autonomy.

Q9. How does Umberto Eco's approach to scholarly writing differ from the 'regular academic style' mentioned by the interviewer?

  • A. Eco uses longer sentences and more complex vocabulary than other scholars.
  • B. Eco employs a personalized, narrative approach that includes the research process, whereas regular academic style is depersonalized and dry. ✓
  • C. Eco writes fewer pages but covers more content than traditional scholars.
  • D. Eco refuses to include conclusions in his scholarly work, focusing only on research methods.

Answer: B — Eco explicitly states his approach involves 'telling the story of your research' including trials and errors, in contrast to regular academic style that is invariably depersonalized and often dry.

Q10. What can be inferred about the relationship between Lewis Carroll's refusal to be interviewed and the primitive cultural belief mentioned in the passage?

  • A. Carroll lived in a primitive culture and believed the same things about photography.
  • B. Carroll's horror of interviews was based on a literal belief that interviews steal one's soul like photography in primitive cultures.
  • C. Carroll used the primitive belief as a metaphor to explain his genuine fear that interviews would violate and diminish his identity. ✓
  • D. Carroll believed primitive cultures were correct in their fears but thought interviews were different from photography.

Answer: C — The passage draws a comparison between primitive beliefs about photography stealing souls and Carroll's fear of interviews as intrusions; Carroll's reluctance mirrors this metaphorical fear of losing oneself to public exposure.

Flashcards

What is Christopher Silvester's main argument about interviews in modern journalism?

Interviews have become the primary medium through which people form impressions of contemporaries, giving interviewers unprecedented power and influence over public perception.

Why did Lewis Carroll refuse to be interviewed?

He had a horror of being lionized and saw interviews as an unwarranted intrusion that allowed people to steal his soul, similar to primitive beliefs about photography.

What did Rudyard Kipling call interviews and why?

Kipling called interviews 'immoral crime' equivalent to assault on a person, though he had himself interviewed Mark Twain years earlier, revealing his own hypocrisy.

Explain Saul Bellow's metaphor 'thumbprints on his windpipe'.

The metaphor suggests that interviews leave lasting, suffocating marks on a person's identity, compressing and constraining their sense of self after public exposure.

What does Denis Brian claim about interviews and contemporary knowledge?

Almost everything of moment reaches people through interviews, making the interviewer's position one of unprecedented power in shaping public understanding of events and personalities.

What was Umberto Eco's realization at age 22 about scholarly writing?

After his professor appreciated his narrative doctoral dissertation that included trials and errors, Eco understood that scholarly books should tell the story of research rather than just conclusions.

How does Umberto Eco explain his prolific output across multiple genres?

He argues he pursues the same philosophical and ethical interests through different mediums—novels, academic work, essays, and children's books all explore non-violence and peace.

What are 'interstices' according to Umberto Eco?

Interstices are empty spaces in daily life (like waiting for an elevator) that Eco uses productively to write articles, eliminating wasted time similar to how eliminating empty spaces compresses the universe.

Why did Roland Barthes feel frustration according to the interview?

Barthes was frustrated that he was an essayist and not a novelist, wanting to do creative writing but dying before achieving that goal, unlike Eco who began novels at age 50.

What two contrasting perspectives on interviews are presented in Part I?

Some view interviews as a source of truth and art form; others, especially celebrities, see them as unwanted intrusions that violate privacy and diminish personal identity.

Important Board Questions

According to Christopher Silvester, what two opposing views of interviews are presented in Part I of the text? Provide one example for each view from the passage. [2 marks]

Identify the positive view (interviews as truth/art) and negative view (interviews as intrusion/victimhood). Use examples from Lewis Carroll, Kipling, or Bellow for support; ensure you quote or reference the passage directly.

Explain how Rudyard Kipling's condemnation of interviews reveals a contradiction in his own position. What does this contradiction suggest about the nature of interviews in the passage? [5 marks]

Point out that Kipling called interviews 'immoral crime' and 'assault' to Boston reporters but had interviewed Mark Twain years before. Analyse what this hypocrisy reveals about the interview's dual nature as both powerful medium and inescapable practice; consider whether the interviewer or interviewee holds more power in this contradiction.

Analyse Umberto Eco's philosophy of productivity and scholarly writing as presented in the interview. How does his approach to 'interstices' relate to his view that he is 'always doing the same thing' across different genres? [6 marks]

Explain 'interstices' as empty spaces used productively for writing. Connect this to Eco's claim that novels, essays, academic work, and children's books all pursue the same philosophical interests in non-violence and peace. Discuss how eliminating wasted time mirrors eliminating empty space from the universe—how does this metaphor reflect his unified intellectual purpose across seemingly disparate works?

Assertion-Reason Questions for The Interview

Q1. Assertion (A):

Lewis Carroll and Rudyard Kipling both refused or resisted interviews because they viewed them as intrusions into their personal privacy and autonomy.

Reason (R):

Carroll had 'a just horror of the interviewer' and Kipling called interviews 'immoral' and 'an assault,' reflecting their mutual desire to protect their personal boundaries from journalistic intrusion.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both the assertion and reason are factually accurate based on the passage, and the reason correctly explains why both writers adopted their resistant positions. The shared motivation—protection of privacy and rejection of public intrusion—is clearly demonstrated.

Q2. Assertion (A):

V. S. Naipaul's comparison of interviews to soul-stealing parallels primitive cultures' beliefs about photography.

Reason (R):

Both Naipaul and primitive cultures view external documentation methods as inherently destructive to the subject's essential identity and personhood.

Answer: B — Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A — While both the assertion and reason are true, the reason does not fully explain the comparison. The passage uses the photograph analogy to illustrate the depth and nature of Naipaul's concerns, but the reason overgeneralizes by framing both as equally 'destructive' when the passage presents them as metaphorically parallel rather than functionally identical. The comparison is illustrative rather than explanatory.

Q3. Assertion (A):

Umberto Eco's large and diverse written output is primarily a result of his ability to utilize small pockets of time productively.

Reason (R):

Eco consciously developed a philosophy of filling 'interstices' or empty spaces in his life with productive work, allowing him to accomplish extensive writing across multiple genres and disciplines.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both assertion and reason are supported by the passage. Eco explicitly describes this strategy—writing articles while waiting for an elevator—and the passage confirms his output is 'staggeringly large and wide-ranging.' The reason directly explains the assertion's claim about his productivity.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for The Interview

Case Study:

A prominent Indian author, Dr. Priya Sharma, has been offered multiple interview opportunities by major publications following the success of her latest novel. However, after her previous interview experience with a weekly magazine, she feels hesitant about participating in future interviews. In that earlier interview, she believed the journalist misrepresented her views on feminism in literature, which led to social media backlash and misunderstandings about her writing philosophy. Now she faces a dilemma: accepting interviews could increase her book's visibility and sales, but past experience makes her fear further misrepresentation and invasion of her creative autonomy.

Q1. Which perspective presented in 'The Interview' passage best explains Dr. Sharma's hesitation to participate in future interviews?

  • A. The view held by some celebrities that interviews are unwarranted intrusions that diminish them ✓
  • B. Denis Brian's argument that interviews provide vivid impressions of contemporary personalities
  • C. Christopher Silvester's belief that interviews are supremely serviceable communication tools
  • D. The primitive cultures' belief that documentation steals a person's essence

Answer: A

Q2. How does Dr. Sharma's experience reflect the 'power and influence' of the interviewer mentioned by Denis Brian in the passage?

  • A. The interviewer has the power to enhance an author's reputation through positive coverage
  • B. The interviewer's control over representation and interpretation of an author's statements grants them significant influence over public perception ✓
  • C. Interviewers hold power because they determine which authors become famous
  • D. The interviewer's influence extends only to readers of the publication, not to social media

Answer: B

Q3. Which author's attitude toward interviews would most closely align with Dr. Sharma's current position?

  • A. Umberto Eco, who views interviews as opportunities to discuss his philosophical interests
  • B. Saul Bellow, who described interviews as 'thumbprints on his windpipe,' suggesting they leave invasive marks ✓
  • C. H. G. Wells, who participated in interviews despite calling them an 'ordeal'
  • D. Denis Brian, who argues interviews are essential to modern communication

Answer: B

Q4. What does Dr. Sharma's dilemma between increased visibility and protection of her creative autonomy reveal about the interview process as presented in the passage?

  • A. The benefits and risks of interviews create a genuine conflict, supporting the passage's portrayal of varied opinions on interviews ✓
  • B. Interviews offer only advantages to authors with no potential drawbacks
  • C. Authors should always prioritize sales over personal concerns about interviews
  • D. Interviews guarantee that an author's views will be accurately represented to the public

Answer: A

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