Italo Calvino and the Compass of Literature

250 Pages·2014·13.178 MB·English

by  Bolongaro, Eugenio;Calvino, Italo

ITALO CALVJNO AND THE COMPASS OF
LITERATURE
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ITALO CALVINO AND
THE COMPASS OF
LITERATURE
Eugenio Bolongaro
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
www.utppublishing.com
© University of Toronto Press Incorporated 20
Toronto Buffalo London
Printed in Canada
ISBN 0-8020-8763-9
Printed on acid-free paper
Toronto Italian Studies
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Bolongaro, Eugenic, 1959-
Italo Calvino and the compass of literature / Eugenic Bolongaro.
(Toronto Italian studies)
Includes bibliographic references and index.
ISBN 0-8020-8763-9
1. Calvino, Italo - Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. II. Series.
PQ4809.A45Z57 2003 853'.914 C2003-900839-8
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Humanities
and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario
Arts Council.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the financial support for its
publishing activities of the Government of Canada through the Book
Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP).
To Dennis and Domenico
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
INTRODUCTION 3
Calvino and Post-war Italy 4
Calvino and Genre 8
1 ITALY AT THE CROSSROADS, 1943-1963 12
The Italian Resistance and the Shaping of the Post-war Italian
Intellectual 13
II Politecnico 1945-1947: Culture vs Politics 18
Officina 1955-1959: The Poetical Potential of Politics 28
// Menabo 1959-1967: Commitment at Sunset 36
2 ITALO CALVINO: FROM NEO-REALISM TO THE
FANTASTIC 47
Calvino and Neo-realism 47
I giovani and the Limits of Neo-realism 54
The Cloven Viscount and the Resources of the Fantastic 62
3 THE BARON IN THE TREES: THE UTOPIAN MOMENT IN
CALVINO'S FANTASTIC TRILOGY 81
Cosimo's Utopia 83
A Finer Fantastic 95
Engaging the Socio-cultural Moment 109
viii Contents
4 THE NON-EXISTENT KNIGHT: OBSTINACY WITHOUT
ILLUSIONS 131
Agilulfo and Ethical Subjectivity 133
Pessimism of the Intellect, Optimism of the Will 148
5 THE WATCHER: THE INTELLECTUAL IN THE LABYRINTH 161
The Language of Paralysis 164
Hamlet and the Minotaur 171
Exorcizing the Labyrinth's Lure 181
CONCLUSION: LITERATURE AS AN ETHICAL PROJECT 191
What Is Literature Good For? 192
Calvino and the Parable of Contemporaneity 195
Notes 197
Bibliography 221
Index 235
Acknowledgments
Among all those without whom this book would never have seen the
light of day, Professor Darko Suvin has a very special place. It was
Darko who first directed my attention to the works of Calvino and
guided my research, shaping my understanding of literature in such
profound ways that it is impossible for me to say where his teachings
end and my own thoughts begin.
Many are the colleagues with whom I spent long hours sharing ideas
that have become essential to this book. Among them, I would like to
mention in particular Catherine Graham, who never shied away from
a good argument, as well as Kees Boterbloem, Joyce Goggin, Susan
Mooney, and Andrew Wood.
Over the years, I have also been fortunate to meet a group of friends
whose intellectual rigour and commitment to social change has been a
constant challenge and inspiration: Andrea Levy, Eric Darier, Steven
Jordan, and Qussai Samak and Michael Temelini. The arguments
which brought us together have been vehement, enriching, and as
important to my work as the friendships that have grown out of them.
Finally, I should briefly speak about the two men to whom this work
is dedicated. Domenico Travaglini has been my closest friend for a
quarter of a century, though we have spent most of those years on
opposite sides of the Atlantic. His intellectual and moral presence has
accompanied me through many difficult moments. Dennis McKearney
has shared the last seven years of my life and helped me to grow not
only in knowledge but also in love.
I would like to acknowledge the financial support that the Social Sci-
ences and Humanities Research Council of Canada provided for the
first years of this research.