Italo Calvino's Legacy

I just read this interesting article about Italo Calvino not being a postmodernist. I always thought he was one. Here's a quick review of the source:

In a brief article titled "Italo Calvino's Legacy: The Constant and Consistent Vision," Rosetta Di Pace-Jordan explores the great Italian writer's stance toward literature. Calvino is often thrown into the camp of the postmodernists, but Di Pace-Jordan disagrees. Though Calvino has postmodernist tendencies, it is his refusal to lose feeling of the self and the referential world that sets him apart.

Di Pace-Jordan's argument goes against what many literary scholars believe: that Calvino is surely a postmodernist. Her argument is too short to be comprehensive or to address many competing points in depth. But, she makes a convincing argument, with plenty of examples, particularly how Calvino deals with space. It is the way he relies on abilities of the eye in the stories to manipulate space that Di Pace-Jordan says began setting him apart from other authors in post war Italy.

This analysis would fit into to any paper discussing postmodernism or for a paper analyzing Calvino's style. Di-Pace Jordan's assertion that Calvino is not a postmodernist could work as a counter-argument in a paper as well. 

Change You Think You Believe In

Have you ever had a friend come to you and say, "Man, I just need a change"?

Call it the grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side dilemma. Change is always alluring, especially in the hardest of times. It's the way out, the way to be good again, the way to make things right. One simple change — a better car, a better job, a better body, a better city, better friends — and we think we can smile again.

A friend came to me with a similar proposition the other day and I immediately thought of the Coldplay song, "Bigger, Stronger." The song talks about wanting to be bigger, stronger and to drive a faster car. The idea is that with these things, you can get away immediately and literally go anywhere because the more-improved you will be accepted. Then comes the chorus (you can check out the complete lyrics here):

I think I want to change my altitude
I think I want to change my altitude
I think I want to change my atmosphere

 It's important to distinguish changing for the sake of change (which is more like running away) with actually changing for the better. Rarely is a simple change of environment going to make life's tensions vanish. Sure, it may ease the stress for a little but when you run, your problems run just as fast as you. Coldplay's song is surely a captivating idea. Who doesn't want to "touch a button" and go anywhere, free of all the things in life that can way you down: a relationship, your job, your work.

It's tempting to want change. Many people in our country were electrified by the very word and concept just a few years ago during President Obama's successful campaign. It was the biggest buzzword in politics. The more cynical side may have come out of people since then, once they recognized change wasn't so forthcoming as we hoped.

Truth is, change rarely is. Change doesn't come because we simply ask it to. It is usually more about us than what surrounds us. A key quote from Obama in February 2008 illustrates this well (it may sound like campaign rhetoric now, but take it for the message, which is pure):

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

We are the change we seek. Don't get me wrong, I'm not by any means trying to make this a political discussion. The meaning I get from this is that if we really want to change things in our life, it starts with us.

And that starts with being more honest with ourselves to get a better grasp on our hangups, while at the same time, not getting too caught up in them. In Zadie Smith's novel "White Teeth," one character, Joyce, is having an unhappy discussion with Alsana about how Joyce got tangled (or as she says, "involved") in Alsana's family business.

Alsana then jets off an inner monologue about what it means to be "involved," which ends up being a pretty damn good answer to why things get so effed up in life some times.

 "Involved happened over a long period of time, pulling you in like quicksand... Involved is neither good nor bad. It is just a consequence of living, a consequence of occupation and immigration, of empires and expansion, of living in each other's pockets... one becomes involved and it is a long trek back to being uninvolved... Involved. The years pass and the mess accumulates and here we are" (pg. 363)

The message: when life is getting you down, instead of looking anywhere for a change, just take a step back and accept that you've become involved. That this is just another turn on life's Ferris wheel and the ride will end eventually. Believe in change. But gradual, self-aware change.

Not saying that will make that faster car any less alluring...

     

Comments

McMurphy on Interpol at 10-06-2010, Interview with Sam Fogarino

I don't think the band has skipped a beat since losing Carlos D. left. But you have to think that it's going to affect the band dynamic, especially how Sam talks about the non-verbal communication that connected he and Carols. They just had a sense for it, and they kept the foundational instruments on the same page. That being said, their new album is stellar and definitely brings them back whatever they "lost" on Our Love to Admire. Personally, I thought OLTA was a nice change of pace for them, but it does make sense that they were not pleased with it if all those changes were going on with the label and what not. Either way, I'm looking forward to hearing them perform it all live, especially to see what songs they choose out a four-album selection. Their music speaks to people, there is no doubt, and let's hope they can overcame the bump in the road that was Carlos D.'s departure.

1 - McMurphy

Oct 06, 2010 at 4:55 pm (or soon after)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is one of my favorite books. Usually when you love a book so much, it means that however great the movie is, it's going to disappoint you. Obviously, this movie-adaptation is the exception, for all the reasons stated in this post: Jack Nicholson's role, Nurse Ratched and the amazing portrayal of the mentally ill by the supporting actors. But I always have a problem with Blu-Ray releases. I can't help but see beyond them as more than a gimmick. As this post says, the sound and color are not going to be improved hardly at all. Sounds like there are some interesting special features that would suit collectors, though, and that might make the collection worthwhile. But other than that, I'm just fine with the original full-length movie, because nothing can compare.


Read the post here.