Light: Calvino

In his discussion on lightness, Calvino contrasts Dante’s writing with that of Cavalcanti.  He writes, “Dante gives solidity even to the most abstract intellectual speculation, whereas Cavalcanti dissolves the concreteness of speculation.” For Calvino, lightness in literature is defined by a precise combination of oppositions.  Lightness allows an author to approach an overarching concept or idea with the swiftest footsteps.   When Perseus goes through great effort to make a clean spot to set Medusa’s head down, Calvino remarks at the “gesture of refreshing courtesy toward a being so monstrous and terrifying, yet at the same time, somehow fragile and perishable.”

Lightness is manifested in In Search of Captain Zero mainly through Weisbecker’s narration.  Like Dante, Weisbecker “gives solidity even to the most abstract intellectual speculation”.  Many stories Weisbecker tells in the novel culminate in an over-arching, introspective thought from the author.  Weisbecker’s ability to transition from chaotic stories of his past to his present circumstances in life give the novel its lightness.

~ by jessewalker717 on April 21, 2011.