The complete cosmicomics : the universe of a failed, emotional literary journey

Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate Italo Calvino's unsuccessful attempt in bridging various aspects of the two polar cultures—literature and science—and how his failure in accomplishing his goals reconstructs the cosmicomics stories to function as a mediating, or even cathartic, material that encapsulates the emotional tumult that develops during the course of his literary journey. In other words, this essay intends to show how the cosmicomics materials catalogue Calvino's learning experience in his mediating role, and how they journal his internal thought processes and sentiments, as well as his waning motivation. The significance of cosmology, space and science will be examined, alongside with the motif of transformation in Calvino's bizarre cosmos.