More About Meta Fiction
This is not so much
a review as an aside. If on a winter’s
night a traveler . . . . is a novel by Italo Calvino.
An experimental
novel that explores the intersection of meta fiction and fantasy=surrealism. It
is about readers and writers and Italo Calvino.
It is an interesting
thought experiment though not an engaging read. Thus, I started but did not
finish it. I did find it fascinating. Books like this often feel, to me at
least, like a gimmick, where technique is valued over story. AND, believe me, I
often think plot is overrated—but at some point I want to be able to begin the
story without having to flip back and forth to know what’s happening. At some
point I need to begin to care about characters—not wonder in a realm of symbols
and metaphor what they represent.
Comments