If
on a winter’s night a traveler is a novel written by Italo Calvino. This novel is absolutely the most outrageous
and confusing book I have ever read.
Italo Calvino is an author of post-modernism writing, a style that contains a
lack of centrality. This is apparent
throughout the novel. Right out of the
gate he begins the book by saying, “You are about to begin reading Italo
Calvino’s new novel, If on a winter’s
night a traveler” (Calvino 1). It appears as an introduction to Calvino’s book
but it is in fact the beginning of the story.
Calvino writes it in such a way so that the reader is actually character
within the story. He continuously points out to the reader that
they are reading his book as the plot develops.
This style of writing tends to be frustrating and puzzling the
reader. In doing this, I found it difficult
to enjoy the story.
“It’s not
that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You’re the sort of person who, on principle,
no longer expects anything of anything” (4).
This passage was
very interesting to me. Calvino implies
that whoever is reading his book expects to gain nothing from it, forcing his beliefs
of Nihilism upon the reader. Nihilism, the idea that nothing matters, is
Calvino’s interpretation of the world. I would argue his beliefs, as I presume the
opposite. I try to acquire something new in everything I do. Not having expectations would be sad way to
live.
What I find interesting about this passage is when Calvino says "it's not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book." Just looking at this first sentence it can be interpreted not as nothing matters out of life, but instead he is instructing the reader to not read the book with preconceived notions for what he or she could get out of the book. When he continues to say "you're the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of anything" I see this as not living a sad life, but instead not expecting something that won't happen. What I mean by this is that a person is going in with a blank slate. They are going to read this novel without expecting to close the book with one particular thought, but with whatever thought they end up thinking after they close the book. Why set expectations if you aren't going to meet the bare minimum. Wouldn't it be better to go into something without expecting anything and come out blown away? Of course, this isn't always the case but it is a starting block and one way to live life. Calvino questions universal truths throughout his novel and make the reader frustrated and puzzled. That is his point. He wants the reader to look at his or her life and step back. This is the art to his madness and confusing book he has written. He does have a purpose for writing this and I think it is to make the reader feel this way and look at everything in a new light.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that there is a purpose to this book and that Calvino's approach is not strictly Nihilistic. There is a lot to gain from this novel about the art and purposes of writing. Yet, you are right in assuming that his novel lacks centrality. He wants his readers to be able to view his novel from a perspective that makes them uncomfortable. He does this by making the novel open-structured and allowing there to be a multiplication of meaning and interpretation. It's easy to assume that because Calvino was a post-modernist writer that Nihilism was his interpretation of the world, but I doubt this is true. He seems to make a considerable effort to change the perspective of the reader, which would insist upon the fact that he does actually care about how his novel is interpreted and how his writing effects his readers. The relationship between the author and the reader is one that should be examined more closely in Calvino's works.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Abby. I think that Calvino would want the readers to read casually and without a purpose, because those are the best readers. The way Calvino write the book is strongly different than the other authors - he guides the readers to read the book, he gives out instruction on how to interpret his novel. From time to time he even guesses your inner psychological activities. To cater to his writing style, a reader that reads out of the sheer purpose of reading would understand him the best since their minds are more free. They are not searching for a specific purpose, which might distort the book.
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