Notes on Invisible City
The invisible city reading notes 1 is called "invisible" because I want to see it but I can't see it, so I said this sentence. Speaking of cities, it is most conducive to "seeing". Bright lights make the city look like daytime even at night, and the sky is lit up. The bright night sky makes the birds get lost and the stars disappear. In order to see, city people have come up with various means. As a result, people have seen many scenic spots, but they can't see the real city. This city is like a mysterious giant, people live in it, but its truth is always out of sight. Under the strong lights and various optical lenses, the streets and alleys of the city are unobstructed. Why can't you see them? What does Calvino want to see? The establishment of human existence is inseparable from external observation, and the world wakes up with people's sight. When people see a city they don't know, they feel uneasy. To alleviate this anxiety, it is not enough to rely solely on the naked eye. People must see the things that live in themselves, see the grass shaking in the breeze, be surprised at the opening of a flower, and see the city running in harmony like a well-designed machine. At this time, people can feel at ease, and he can see his existence from these harmonious things. However, this city has never been built on a peaceful land. This behemoth, which grew up in the rolling collision, became a huge maze beyond people's expectation. How easy is it for people to see the city clearly and gain existence in the noisy city? Calvino clearly saw the illusion of the city, but he was full of confidence in the role of narrative.
In order to illustrate the illusion and hope of modern cities, Calvino reflects the characteristics of modern cities from all aspects, and connects the continuous observation of modern cities with Kyle Polo's narrative. In the story, Kyle Poirot told Kublai Khan what he saw along the way when he traveled around the world. In the dialogue between the narrator and the listener, we can see the author's hope for narrative. Empire in Narration ―― The Story of Kyle Poirot
After owning the empire, Kublai Khan fell into obscurity and was defeated, and the empire became an "endless and faceless ruin". What he wants to do now is not to possess her. He is tired of war. Now all he has to do is listen to Kyle Poirot's story so that he can see his empire clearly. Kublai Khan once tried to recapture the empire through narration. Therefore, he asked Kyle Poirot to tell about the cities he visited. In this way, he found how difficult it is to own a city: no city really exists, and people living in it can't really exist. In fact, even if you see it clearly, it is only a good wish, because the ever-changing city makes it difficult to see the truth, memory and forgetting are mixed, and people only see the shadow of the city. Modern life has turned the city into a huge maze, which makes people living in it lost and difficult to realize.
How can we get out of it and get the real existence? Calvino discovered the function of narration: through Kyle Polo's narration, Khan's memory was restored, and the territory of the empire was re-established, and the establishment of memory was completed in narration. In fact, for a writer, narration is his life's mission. He grasps reality through writing, which is more real than material grasp. )
What you see doesn't exist, and people's narratives can be close to the truth. For modern writers, narration is the fulcrum of establishing existence, and only seemingly illusory narration can fight against the illusory world. Calvino uses different themes to reflect modern cities in this intermittently inspired work. The cobweb of language is colorful, and Calvino is a magical weaver. Readers should not be dazzled by beautiful colors.
City and sky
The sky shows us a greater existence. The order of the world is up to him. All religions give the sky the best meaning. The habit of looking up at the sky and observing astronomical phenomena has existed since ancient times. People are used to determining the order and life of the world through astronomical phenomena, and using astronomical phenomena to explain personal destiny. People use the lobby to hold noble virtues and emotions, and hell to place despicable and ugly things; According to the inspiration given by the stars, design and build the blueprint of the city, so that the city is covered with scaffolding. The brightness and certainty of the sky are often questioned by the reality of world life: Calvino often finds that the repeated development of real life obscures the sky when he bows his head, and the chaos of the world begins.
City and eyes
People always believe in their eyes, but they don't know that they can only see the appearance in many cases. For the same city, everyone sees it differently, so how do people approach the truth of the city? As the observer's observation angle and time change, what people see will be different. Newcomers to the city will find many amazing places in the city because they are unfamiliar, but after a long time, they can only notice the road under their feet. For a long time, blind and trivial city life has shattered people's overall aesthetic feeling. (City and Eyes 4) It is hopeless to believe only in your own eyes. It blocks existence by seeing.
City and name
Before going into the essence, let's get to know the name. A name is a gentle and affectionate name for things. The name changed the fate of things in this life. Birds of a feather flock together, grow toward the heart, or prepare to leave at the right time. How many things run under the name! "Most of the legendary cities are needed for their actual existence, but the actual cities are less than the legendary ones." (city and name). Legends reflect people's ideals, and reality is always far from ideal. "Local residents always believe that they live in a city named La Agro, but they can't find La Agro, which grows on their own land". The name has arranged its own destiny in the real world, and since then things have wavered between the fate decided by the name and the actual existence. La Agro, which grew up on her own land, does exist, but she has not exposed herself to the local residents. When they have insight, they can find the city that actually exists. "I" found that the existing city can't be expressed in words, because people now have lost the ability to observe, and they are powerless in expression. Although language is developing relentlessly and the tide of material is rolling in, people are still at a loss. Do they still have spiritual vision? The author found that the city is moving away from its name and violently hitting its own body in the process of change. Cities with glorious history are reborn in destruction, and fast-developing modern cities often give people the impression of usurpers rather than creators. In essence, builders are usurpers. Although many people participated in the rigorous planning, they could not control the development of the city, and the city became an uncontrollable monster. Those widely publicized cultural traditions are far away from or distorted by the city, and the beautiful original intention eventually turns into a conspiracy, resulting in consequences beyond the control of propagandists. The development of the city itself is similar to the rise and fall of the body. The five elements are prosperous and unstoppable, and new life is completed in destruction. The name is like a sensitive and fragile container, wobbling, which contains those rough and hard entities. The intention is good, but it is worthy of the name.
Cities and signs
In ancient times, people lived by nature, or lived in trees or caves. Whether the branches can support people's bodies, whether the shape is suitable for making nests, whether the caves are warm in winter and whether they can resist the invasion of wild animals depends on the specific situation. Not to mention the impact of the weather on people, a heavy rain will make people hide in caves, and a strong wind will make people hold on to branches. Later, people built houses for living, and houses were built according to natural terrain. In the mountainous area, it is built according to the mountain situation, and the river is near the water. At this time, buildings are connected with the earth, and people live between the earth and are the sons of the earth. People identify residential areas according to natural signs. Before human power has covered up the power of nature, the feeling of space is mostly related to natural landforms (this can be verified from traditional place names, while modern place names are mostly artificial imagination). )。 Later, human beings built a small world on their own, and artificial construction exceeded the influence of nature. People are separated from heaven and earth and nature, and people gradually get lost in the maze they built. The complexity of modern cities makes it necessary to use various signs to mark streets and houses so that people will not get lost in them. Every building also tries to show itself in dense signs. This is the symbol of this city. The unnatural characteristics of the city make it inevitable for her to use all kinds of symbols to build her own huge system for people to work and live in. But this sign only shows the difference and cannot reflect the internal relationship between things and nature. The emphasis on functional characteristics makes people gradually lose their attention to nature and ignore the relationship with heaven and earth, which will inevitably lead to loss.
Calvino realized the danger of being lost, so he reflected: first, the city established its image by repeating exaggerated signs, and affirmed that the city did exist. Second, the sign forms a language, "but it is not the language you think you know, but there is no language that absolutely does not deceive people" (city and sign 4). Therefore, we must "get rid of the image that guides people to pursue things until here". Keep alert to the signs and read the secrets on the images, so as to truly understand the secrets of things. In the last section, Calvino put forward a revolutionary view. He saw that things are multifaceted in image, three-dimensional and multidimensional, and the rise and fall of the world depends on one point. The image in reality is only the relationship and fate of things, not his reality. The thing itself is outside or inside its image, not inside the image itself. Calvino's narrative shines with dialectical light: the city built by people according to their own wishes does not represent the development direction of the city itself, and prosperity is not the ideal of the city itself, but the metabolic waste and garbage are the most simple and amiable side of the city. Only when people see all the features of the city and accept them happily can their understanding of the city be objective.
City and memory
For a rapidly changing city, memory is an important way to grasp it. However, in Calvino's view, memory is powerless to the city. On the one hand, the city's past has left its mark everywhere and needs to be interpreted (City and Memory IV). On the other hand, all the records about the past of the city remember an old city that is completely different from the present, just like the separation of the name from the actual city, and the memory has nothing to do with the present city. (City and Memory 5) "All memories have been forgotten". (Geng Zhanchun's Fantasy of the Observer).
Continuous cities
In Continuous Cities, the author writes about the continuous and infinite expansion of modern cities. The scale of this city is beyond human perception. Not to mention people from other places, even those who live here, it is difficult to tell the boundaries of this city. They can only say that they live in this city. The urban space is so large that it seems to be empty. This artificial maze even deceived the sheep. If the grass growing in the open space didn't remind them, the sheep would get lost (the fourth consecutive city). The appearance of sheep is an excellent reminder to us. Without a natural lifestyle, even sheep will lose their way. The way to restore their self-knowledge is to return to the natural way of life.
City and death
The role is changing, the fate is repeating itself, but the plot has not changed. This is the scene of human life. The relationship between people is like a predestined relationship. Even after the end of life, the influence of these karma remains. People see the shadow of the dead in the living. This shows that people in portrait dramas in the world can be classified. As for these characters, they are sad because of moving plots, and have nothing to do with specific actors. In order to die peacefully, people hope to realize their wishes before they die. In order to let everyone die safely, it is very desirable to establish a reasonable afterlife world. Real life reflects the wishes of the deceased, while the city of the future shows people's ideals.
La Casita blanca. La ciudad oculta
There is a city hidden in the maze. For this unfortunate city, she is a happy city. For an unjust city, she is a just city. She is hiding in the gap of the city, and she is in your next step. "You can't get in touch with her too seriously, but you should do it inadvertently." As long as a person does something just to be happy, his happiness can become the happiness of others. ? "In this rapidly changing city, animals that have disappeared because of urban expansion are also hidden underground and ready to recover. Calvino is full of hope for this city, believing that the maze city can still be broken and people can rush out.
Break through and gain happiness and hope. But all this has to be done inadvertently. Kyle Poirot told Khan that he could reach the promised land from some wonderful entrances and moments. Calvino is convinced of the existence of the promised land, but everyone must find the way there, which is a great challenge for modern people.
Reality makes people toss and turn in endless life. We live in a dark and heavy hell instead of heaven. Hell is formed by us gathering together. Calvino proposed two ways to avoid pain. "First of all, accept the hell and become a part of it until you can't feel its existence. It's simple. The second is risky and requires constant vigilance and learning: look for people and things that are not in hell, learn to distinguish them, let them go on and give them space. " The former is sinking and lost, and sinking again and again in the material carnival; The latter should remain vigilant and learn to seize opportunities.
Things have unlimited reproduction ability, so people must abandon their attachment to tangible things without being overwhelmed by the dust of matter, remain alert to things without being addicted to them, not covered by their own desires, and not covered by the dust of symbols. For an artist, symbols and crafts will always be his fulcrum, so that he can establish a balanced relationship with the world. The so-called heaven is not a pure land far away from the world, but a grasp of existence. People establish a harmonious relationship with the world, clearly hear the voice of the world, see the scene of the world and express themselves freely. Kublai Khan's expectation of narration shows Calvino's artistic pursuit. In his creation, he expected narrative form and achieved success.
Invisible city reading notes 2 "Invisible city" reading essay: July, a city morning
In the imperial garden at dusk, the late Mongolian emperor Kublai Khan listened attentively to Kyle, a young traveler from Venice. Poirot talked about the city in his journey, the city of memory, the city of desire, the city of symbols, the bright city, the continuous city, and all the cities that are equally real and illusory on the map of Xinjiang ... and I, on a rainy morning, followed a bus and pursued the clues of a city.
The sun rises from the rolling hills around the field.
I stood in the warm wind in July and let the drizzle fall on my clothes.
Standing at the station in front of the village, waiting for an orange bus, which is an ant constantly shuttling back and forth in the maze of the city and the countryside.
It is the imprint of a modern city, just like the intricate underground pipes can remind people of the city.
Giant ants walk in a fixed space and form, and even the time, people and scenery along the way rarely change.
In the morning, it rushes to the center of the city with the desires around the city. At dusk, it came to the river in the night with a car full of tiredness.
What I am waiting for is an ant full of memories and symbols.
The sound of four wheels running across the road is getting closer and closer, and the body appears on the road in the north. On the roof of the car, the figure of Theory of Three Represents's fixed space, shape and route flashed faintly, and I caught my eye by the light of July.
It stopped and stopped at the station in the way that it had been repeated thousands of times before. I also used the same repeated fixed form to feed two silver coins into the giant ant's mouth. It will give me many clues about this city.
Half of the road is far away from the noise of the city and travels in the unique tranquility of the countryside. Egrets fly over the fields, farmers work in the fields, and fishermen can be seen looking for fish by a bridge.
Half of the roads are infinitely close to the city, and the horns of passing cars are on both sides. Sometimes crowded, sometimes spacious space, the pace is infinitely fast. Strange faces outside the window are like fleeting petals.
With the passage of time, giant ants have swallowed three-quarters of the roads unconsciously. Its belly is full of strange faces that have gradually become familiar because of countless reunions. Young people are captured by the electronic world, and headphones are cruel shackles. The old man is a lost man, standing in the fog in the distance, looking at the new world. The old world is fading, and the newly established electronic world makes him at a loss. Middle-aged people are prisoners of work, responsible for conveying the blood of the city. Babies are prisoners of the future world and enjoy a moment of worry-free, but they will eventually wear the shackles of the world and serve the city.
Shops on both sides of the road are fleeting symbols because their names are marked on them. Just like a name symbolizes a person, whether he is dead or alive.
Everyone who walks on the city road is a symbol of the city. The city shines through their eyes, tells its strangeness through their mouths, and burns the light and shade of the city through their hands. It may be a long process to witness its growth, growth, aging, death, resurrection and re-growth, but it doesn't matter. Continuous life will cram new individuals into the blank space of the city from generation to generation. So a city can have a history of thousands or even thousands of years.
Driving through the viaduct, the heart of the city appeared in front of my eyes in an instant. Tall buildings and giant chimneys are the bones and blood vessels of the city, the roaring machines in the factory are its arms, and schools, bookstores and individuals are its brains. Countless people gave it life, and it created the fate of countless people.
A sprinkler is driving on the road, and water is sprayed from the body to both sides. A pedestrian unconsciously passed by the sprinkler. When he was approaching, he rushed over and looked behind him from time to time. I sat in the car and looked out of the window.
Giant ants will soon run to the nest, and I will start a new day.
Notes on the Invisible City 3 This city has been depressed for a long time, and the haze has ruled this sky. There is a bird singing behind the heavy popcorn machine glass, but it can't reflect the bird's shadow. As the keynote of this city, the cement forest hummed with people's heartfelt questions.
In the popcorn machine, I saw him looking at me with puzzled eyes. Unlike other people waiting, a little panic passed from it. He stared. "I'm too lazy to blossom without pressure!" " "I read this slogan for a long time, paid the money, and ran away with this bag. Shuttling through the concrete forest, he runs very fast and his shadow drags very long. " "Knock, knock, knock" footsteps can tell what he is chasing, and something is chasing him at the same time.
This city is really depressing.
He rushed into his room, which was as stuffy as a popcorn machine. He was a native of corn. He will explode into a shape. But this shape is designed for him. He searched for a long time and got into the condom designed for him. He is a native corn, a poor corn.
He buried himself in his homework. In the dim light, you can see the sweat oozing from his forehead. Stop writing, pick up one of us and enjoy the sweetness of the tip of your tongue. Then he bowed his head and wrote something, and then took it. Repeat this action, general assembly line, general robot. His brow furrowed. Poor corn.
Behind the heavy glass came the sound of birds singing, but there was no reflection of birds.
He used his empty eyes like two deep eel holes, but there did seem to be a little light inside. He kept staring at me and found him asleep.
It's the sound of hurried footsteps, opening doors and turning pages. When his stroke reached "happiness", it stopped.
"What brand of broken imported pen! ? "
He just stopped and stared at me. He held out his hand, grabbed one and put it in his mouth, then reached out and grabbed it. Much faster, but still so mechanical. He grabbed me and stared at me. I saw him looking at me with puzzled eyes, which was different from what I saw yesterday, and there was still a little helplessness in it. He raised his hand and threw me out of the window.
During the flight, you can see the concrete world, spider-like roads and endless traffic.
Another man carrying a big schoolbag looked at me with the same puzzled eyes, and a little panic passed from his heart. He hurried across the street.
After the thick clouds, there was a burst of birdsong, but the shadow of the bird was not reflected.
Indeed, this city has been depressed for a long time.
……
Reading Notes of "Invisible City 4" This is a work that many people are optimistic about, because I have glimpsed the name of this book in various paragraphs, and the most impressive thing is in the documentary "One Book, One City". In a city full of exotic customs, this book has been repeatedly mentioned by the creators, with poetic explanations and beautiful romantic scenes. "Is this a romantic book?" I thought to myself, "I'll buy it if I have the chance."
Until today, when I first opened it, I found its beauty and romance beyond my imagination.
"There will be a feeling of emptiness. When dusk comes, there will be the smell of elephants after the rain and the smell of sandalwood ash getting cold in the brazier." Why is it the smell of elephants after the rain? Isn't our usual intention the smell of grass after rain? After all, this smell is familiar and commonplace. What's the smell of cold sandalwood ash? I have never smelled it. I only know the smell of ordinary firewood after burning out, and it has a faint smell of firewood.
"Only Kyle Polo's report can let Kublai Khan cross the doomed walls and towers and vaguely see the finely carved panes that termites have eaten and survived." People are surrounded by a heavy sense of history and vicissitudes from the pavement.
And these are just the wedges at the beginning of the article. In just a few words, I felt that I was surrounded by a powerful gas field. The last time I had such a reading experience was probably reading Zhang Ailing's works in my early years. So I understand why this book is loved by so many people.
The author of this book, Italian writer Calvino, told his readers at the beginning that all cities are fictional and people can't find any cities they can recognize, which is why the author named this book Invisible City. Another romance of the author is that he gave all the cities a woman's name, and the author also said that "every chapter should provide an opportunity for us to reflect on a city or a city in general".
I can't wait to read about these invisible cities. In the author's concise and imaginative description, all the cities (or villages) I have experienced come to my mind. In this city named zaira, the author described it as follows: "The city is like a sponge, absorbing the ever-flowing tide of memories and expanding with it. However, the city will not reveal its past, but will only hide it like a handprint. Write it on the street corner, the guardrail of the pane, the handrail of the stairs, the lightning protection antenna and the flagpole. " Indulging in the intention described by the author, I can't help but recall the scene when I visited Huizhou architecture, and those abandoned stoves, square patios or tiles scattered in the corner. Aren't these the handprints of the city?
In another city called da Anastacia, the author wrote, "One morning, when you wake up, all your desires will sprout together and surround you. This city seems to be everything to you. Without desire, you will be lost, and you are a part of it. " The picture of a village in Wuyuan slowly unfolded in my mind. This is an extremely quiet small village. With the running water at night and the fatigue of running around during the day, I slept a very sweet and dreamless night, which is really rare for me who often suffers from insomnia. The next morning, I was awakened by the sound of birds singing, and then I walked alone in the foggy village. Black and white buildings and golden rape flowers make me feel that this is a dream, a quiet dream that I didn't come last night. Here, there is no desire, no loss, and people are a part of it, as small as a drop in the ocean, but it makes people feel at ease.
I closed the book and didn't want to finish reading this wonderful book so soon. However, memories can't be locked, whistling and coming at me. The chilly sea breeze in Dalian, the driver who politely gave way to me at an unknown street corner, and the young couple who simply drove us to our destination, the small shop called Cat Sky City and postcards plastered all over the walls, a youth hostel called Lijiang Ancient Town, the snowy mountain scenery you can look up to, and the honest and honest shopkeeper who bought food with a laundry basket himself. There is the best wonton I have ever eaten in the ancient town, which is very inconspicuous. And I almost gave up because of the power failure in the store that night, until we ate until midnight in dim candlelight, and there were interesting handicrafts on the streets of Dali. Although I didn't buy the last one, I just drank a glass of wine on the roadside, which was not very delicious, but I could hear the moving singing of the female singer next to me. . . . . .
We often say that we should study thousands of books and take Wan Li Road. Of course, I haven't read thousands of books, and I haven't walked on Wan Li Road, but there is a book called Invisible City. It only takes a few words to connect the roads I have traveled in series, or these words are like a switch, which opens the fragments in my mind, and the scenery and memories on the road flash in my mind like slides.
I remember a question in Zhihu. What's the use of reciting ancient poems since childhood? One answer resonated with many people, to the effect that when you see the lotus flowers in summer, you will think of "the lotus leaves are infinitely bright the next day, and the colors of the lotus flowers are different", and you will understand the author's mood in writing this poem. If you have a tryst with your beloved girl, you can feel the throb of "a bright future brings flowers to another village, and people meet at dusk". These influences, from small to large, will make you face all beautiful things without thinking of any superfluous expression except a "beautiful".
Travel and reading have roughly the same meaning. Maybe at this moment, you can't feel more, but at a certain moment, your heart is lit up, and then you are like the first melting spring, which can be calm or rippling.
The book that caught my eye was the Invisible City by Calvino. There is always a book that will light up your life like this.