Class 12 English — Chapter 7: The Interview

What you'll learn

• ▸The Interview as a Communication Medium
• ▸Negative Views on Interviews by Celebrities
• ▸Positive Views and Merits of Interviews
• ▸Paradoxical Attitudes of Interviewees
• ▸Umberto Eco's Academic Identity
• ▸Eco's Unique Academic Writing Style
• ▸The Concept of 'Interstices'
• ▸The Success of 'The Name of the Rose'

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- 12074CH07 7 The Interview From the Introduction to The Penguin Book of Interviews edited by Christopher Silvester. About the Author **Christopher Silvester** (1959) was a student of history at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was a reporter for *Private Eye* for ten years and has written features for *Vanity Fair*. Following is an excerpt taken from his introduction to the *Penguin Book of Interviews, An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day*. Part I Since its invention a little over 130 years ago, the interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Today, almost everybody who is literate will have read an interview at some point in their lives, while from the other point of view, several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the years, some of them repeatedly. So it is hardly surprising that opinions of the interview — of its functions, methods and merits — vary considerably. Some might make quite extravagant claims for it as being, in its highest form, a sourc…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explore interview techniques. Get Solution →
2. Define semiotics clearly. Get Solution →
3. Discover productivity hacks. Get Solution →
4. Who is the author of the excerpt from the introduction to 'The Penguin Book of Interviews'? Get Solution →
5. According to the text, which author described interviews as being like 'thumbprints on his windpipe'? Get Solution →
6. What is the title of Umberto Eco's novel that sold more than 10 million copies? Get Solution →
7. Umberto Eco was a professor at which Italian university? Get Solution →
8. Who interviewed Umberto Eco for The Hindu newspaper? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 Interviews were first published in newspapers over 160 years ago.
• 💡 Ancient Roman generals interviewed prisoners to gather vital intelligence for battles.
• 💡 The average person spends almost two hours daily waiting or in transition.
• 💡 Famous authors like Virginia Woolf wrote standing up to increase their concentration.
• 💡 Even short bursts of focused effort can boost productivity more than long hours.

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