Following are the distinctive features of Eco's academic writing style : (i) His writing has a certain playful and personal quality about it. (ii) His writing is a marked departure from a regular academic style which is invariable, depersonalised and often dry and boring. (iii) His writing style is a story telling style just as he did at the time of presenting his first doctoral dissertation. He tells about his trials as well as errors: It was appreciated by one . of the professors present there. (iv) His essays always have narrative aspects. And this is why probably he started writing narrative (novels) so late � at the age of 50, more or less. (v) He pursues his philosphical intersts through his academic work and his novels.