How do you read a book? Is there really a right way and a
wrong way to do so? Every author has a purpose whenever they set out to write
something. Whether the purpose is to entertain readers by talking about
fascinating fictional beings, inform the audience about facts and theories, or
explain the meaning of life, they have all been written with a specific purpose
in mind.
As soon as you start reading Invisible Cities, you, as a reader, take on the arduous task of
trying to figure out what Italo Calvino really wants to convey through his
cities. What you don’t realize at first is that Calvino wrote the book in such
a way that as the book progresses, he too is figuring out his audience.
“Each place in the carpet corresponds to a place in the city
and all the things contained in the city are included in the design, arranged
according to their true relationship.”(pg. 96). By stating that the carpet is a
map of the city, Calvino is not only saying that Marco Polo’s tales all talk
about Venice, he is comparing Venice to the common thread that ties everything
together, and is presenting his book as a map of life itself.
Just like Virgil guided Dante through the depths of Hell;
Tralfamadorian theory guided the life of Billy Pilgrim; Vladek guided the life
of his son, justice guided the fates of Claitemnestra, Agamemnon, Electra, and
Orestes; freedom guided the life of Eli Wiesel; an unjust world guided Candide
through his journey; the meaning of nothing guided Macbeth through his; and
selfishness guided Dawkins’ work and beliefs; Calvino uses Invisible Cities to guide us through life.
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