Form vs. Content

This time, while I was reading, I tried to concentrate on finding a pattern. Somehow this led me back to the Table of Contents page in which I repeatedly looked at the titles and numbers. There are nine units and within each unit, there is a section with a number beside it. After a closer inspection, we see that there is an orderly sequence of 54321. Is there a reason why Calvino did this? Of course there is. Even reading just a page of the Invisible Cities, anyone will realize that for every word (or action) Calvino takes, there is a meaning behind it. In this case, I tried to figure out what was the meaning behind the use of the index.

Like I said before, this book has several ways of reading the text – reading in order, through topics, or through the number. I think Calvino is trying to use this as an example that humans all have different perspectives and interpretations as well as a use of metaliterature. For example, just like he states on page 28 “even if it was a matter of the past it was a past that changed gradually as he advanced on his journey,” Calvino shows that this book is always going to be a book no matter what. However, the meaning of the book changes every time we try to read it differently (in a different order).

There is also another thing that I noticed about how the index contrasts greatly with the textual content within the book. The index is an extremely rigid and formal outline structure while the content is very flexible and creative. This is when I realized what the “Form and Content” that Mr. Tangen always writes on the board next to Topic was about. It’s about the opposition between form and content that seems to emphasize a rich contradiction in the conception of the book.

Now, I know that there is a reason why Calvino did this, yet I’m not too sure. My guess is that this is another one of his ways to explain more about the world and human characteristics – what he’s been trying to do throughout this entire book. It shows how our world always consists of “rational” and “irrational” elements. One example is the human mind. I remember how we once watched a video during English class about how the human brain works. It’s divided into two main parts – the rational side and the emotional side. These two sides of the brain are constantly fighting to take control. I think this can relate to the Invisible Cities in that the opposition of form (rational) and content (emotional) shows the necessity of both of these things in order to interpret the book, or to understand the world.