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Work #655 · Mid

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

Italo Calvino
1972 · Italian
Postmodern speculative novel · Italian postmodernism / Latin American magical realism affinity

Calvino's 1972 Invisible Cities — Marco Polo describes 55 imaginary cities to Kublai Khan

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili) (Mid)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Plural
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Experience
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

The descriptive-imaginal time.

Space

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

Central — the 55 invisible cities.

Matter

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

The imagined-material cities.

Observer

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

Marco Polo as describer; Kublai Khan as listener.

Energy

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

Energies of speculative city-imagination.

Information

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

Foundational postmodern-speculative framework.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Invisible Cities (Le città invisibili)

Invisible Cities foundational for postmodern speculative fiction and the philosophy of urban experience.