Invisible Cities!

Hey, everyone! I finished this book almost two months ago, yet I am only blogging now. So many things pop up during the summer and make me forget about what I've already done! Good thing I dog-eared some pages to help me remember what I liked about the book. I agree with many of you when you say that it seems as if Marco Polo is relaying different stories of the same city when he talks to Kublai Khan. In some of his stories, Marco Polo's words really captured me, so I'm going to talk about the corresponding cities. In his story about Zirma, Polo says "Memory is redundant: it repeats signs so that the city can begin to exist" (19). This was really the first telltale sign for me that Polo may just be talking about the same city in different contexts. Nonetheless, I thought this quote was really cool! Later, Marco Polo describes the city of Zenobia as being divided into two "species:" "those that through the years and the changes continue to give their form to desires, and those in which desires either erase the city or are erased by it" (35). The last part of the quote really struck me because it reminded me of the world today. When Polo said "those in which desires either erase the city" I couldn't help but be reminded of the current state of the Earth and how much humans harm it everyday...our "desires" will ultimately lead to its downfall. Another story that caught my attention was that of Valdrada (the "twin" cities)...Marco Polo describes the city, saying, "the two Valdradas live for each other, their eyes interlocked; but there is no love between them" (54). I can't really even say what this quote means, but it seems like it makes so much sense and it was one that I remembered and had to share. The city of Octavia caught my attention, as well, because it is built upon a net between two mountains, suspended over hundreds of feet of nothingness. Marco Polo recounted, "the life of Octavia's inhabitants is less uncertain than in other cities. They know the net will last only so long" (75). It's pretty morbid, but the idea of a city built upon a net creates such a neat image in my mind. The last thing I'll share is a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan. Polo is explaining to Kublai Khan how bridges are built, "stone by stone" (82). Polo explains that the arch of the bridge, created by many stones, is what supports the bridge. Kublai Khan tells Polo that he is doesn't care about the stones and is only interested in the arch, to which Polo replies, "Without stones there is no arch." This struck me as a metaphor for their relationship, really for every relationship in life. Marco Polo and Kublai Khan rely on each other in some way--in Kublai Khan, Polo finds a confidante, someone to tell his stories to. And in Marco Polo, Kublai Khan finds company, entertainment, and knowledge. They need each other--just as the stones need the arch and the arch needs the stone. I know this post is reallllly long, but I just had to share my favorite moments in the book. I agree with some of you in that the book was tedious at times, and I found that the stories eventually melded together and were sometimes indistinguishable. However, overall I found the novel very interesting and unique, and have to note that I think Calvino's use of words is exquisite.