Saavedra 1!

Jose Saavedra
Professor Pessin
English 1A
25 November 2014
Is the Undepictable Describable Through Language?
When one thinks of the undepictable one must also think about the unimaginable where
not even in ones imagination can the image truly be see , but if one cannot see how can one
describe this through language. In Italo Calvinos Cosmicomics, a collection of stories of one
character Qfwfq and his adventures that aren't bounded by the reality we know, but push the
limits of science and our imagination. The events, that are hard to imagine but so easily
describe by Calvino give a sense of how strong language can be if used correctly, but to do so
one must know what language is. Language is a tool made up of symbols with structure used
to communicate ones thoughts, emotions, and experiences to others. Calvino is able to depict
the undepictable by focusing on the imaginable and conceivable and stretching it out to its
limits but minimizing or ignoring the truly undepictable, this is seen in All At One Point, A
Sign In Space, The Form Of Space, and in the main character Qfwfqs abilities and qualities.
Italo Calvino sets out to describe events when there was everything but all at one point,
at a time where there was no time or space, but just a point. He does this in All at One Point
when Qfwfq states Every point of each of us coincides with every point of each of the others

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in a signal point, which was where we all were. (Calvino 43) In here lies the undepictable,
how can so many individuals with consciousness be all at the same point, and each character
from Mr. Pbert Pberd to Mrs. Ph(i)Nko lives their own lives and their own unique personalities.
He achieves this by giving a simile what use did we have for time, packed in there like
sardines (Calvino 43) He then quickly retracted this statement because there is no space to be
packed but in stating this, he has placed an image into your mind, this allows you to move
forward because he has put this pseudo-image into your head minimizing the reality that this is
not depictable, in a sense he ignores it, which allows you to do the same. As said by James
Baldwin People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstance, or
in order to not be submerged by a reality that they cannot articulate. (Baldwin 798) Calvino
does not want to in a sense submerge the read because in this case language cant truly
describe these events but in doing so he creates a language of his own where he convinces the
reader that he is capable of doing the impossible. He also focuses on the conceivable by giving
personalities to these characters which is something we can imagine because we have
experiences with irritating people like Mr. Pbert Pberd .
In A Sign In Space, Qfwfq tells the story of when he made the first sign in the universe,
a perfect sign, a sign made not by implements but by the conception of the idea of a sign. But
what is truly undepictable is the perfect sign, a sign Qfwfq cannot remember and cannot
describe but says I recalled its general outline, its over-all appearance, still something about it

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eluded me, I mean if I tried to break it down into its various elements, I couldnt remember
whether, between one part and the other, it went like this or like that. (Calvino 33) Calvino
never truly described this sign but gave us questions that were promptly answered by other
questions that made you believe that, that sign was perfect. One theory of language suggested
by Susanne K. Langer states The transformation of experience into concepts, not the
elaboration of signals and symptoms, is the motive of language. (Langer 778) Here the
experience of the perfect sign into a concept is this perfect sign, while the exact sign with all
of its signals and symptoms is not what is remembered. Because this sign is perfect, in
order to illustrate this sign, the language itself must be perfect and since this is not the case the
sign stays as an experience where the only concept that can embody it, is perfection and
perfection is unobtainable. Calvino understands this and uses it to depict the never-ending
need and want for perfection, he focuses on the sign as an idea and less as an object allowing
him to convey its perfection the Galaxy went on turing but I could no longer count the
revolutions, any point could be the point of departure, any sign heaped up with the others
could be mine(Calvino 39) here at the end of the story you see the resolution of the tension,
by which I mean the experience of perfection of that first sign was washed away by every
other sign, that unique experience was lost and again nothing was distinguished from
anything (Calvino 31) and with it the concept of perfection.

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How characters interact with there surroundings and each other in a dark and infinite
space is something Calvino has to accomplish in The Form Of Space but in doing so gives a
representation of a journey to nowhere. To fall forever to no specific point with noting around
but two other beings both falling at the same rate is hard to comprehend; this is due to the fact
that how can one know if one is falling as Qfwfq states there wasnt even any proof that I
was really falling: perhaps I had always remained immobile in space, or moving in an upward
direction so might as well go on thinking I was falling, as I was naturally led to
think. (Calvino 115) Here the impossible lies, where fall can only occur if there was
something pulling you down to a point, where Qfwfq states there is nothing, this tells us that
they cant be falling. Calvino is able to depict this image by giving you the sensation of falling
by stating a list of normal events that we as human associate with falling like a plane crash or
falling from a tall building. He is bombarding you with this feeling of falling from extremely
high places, then he belittles this and explains his infinitely long fall to nowhere. Calvino
ignores the fact that Qfwfq is not falling at the moment he is speaking, we presume which
means his infinite journey didn't last forever, and more so that that fall had an end, and that
afterwards he was able to move, or everything changed around him, he just stayed constantly
moving but the void became everything. Its hard to image but through the this story words was
able to demonstrate the thought that everything is constant but Qfwfq moves through it.
Another key point is the fact that Qfwfq cant point out a reference point, this means that

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motion is all determined by the location of the observer, as stated this brings up the point to
some extent if we put ourselves as a reference point then we don't move, everything else does
this directly conflicts with Qfwfq assumption that he is falling.
One constant in Cosmicomics is the main character Qfwfq, a being that has been in
existence before the universe yet a creature of the earth, his transformations are noticed but his
form is changing from story to story. How can one depict an individual with no unique form,
no real birth or death but a sense of consciousness and life? This was at the forefront of
Calvinos work, this reoccurring character has been though it all, yet before it all. This idea of
creation of a being, but also its creation can be correlated with the creation and transformation
of words. human experience is integrated into the non-human make-up of Qfwfq. In every
story, for example, a feeling of loss is prominent in the narrativization of the past.2 The
narrators nostalgic attitude is one of the elements that reinforce his anthropomorphic side and
it may also stimulate the readers empathetic involvement. Similarly, all non-human narrators
exploit human experientially in varying degrees, and they call upon our ability to attribute
consciousness to non-human entities and even to empathize with them. (Lars) Calvino
doesnt ever directly and definitely describe Qfwfqs form but he still carries meaning, he
carries a specific personality. The conception of self, which is usually thought to mark the
beginning of actually memory, may possibly depend on this process of symbolically
epitomizing our feelings.(Langer 776) Here Langer states that ones self is our feelings or it

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can be seen as our personality, so by Calvino giving us information of Qfwfq feelings he

actually gives us an image of Qfwfq.
How Qfwfq is viewed, and how one should perceive him is a topic of debate, there are
two main views, the first is through the lens of science, the second is through language. This is
also seen in the stories themselves as Qfwfq agrees with scientific thought at the beginning of
each story yet almost every story defies the laws set by science. In his attempt to gain control
of his surroundings and of his identity, Qfwfq finds himself powerless and equally influenced
by two opposing forcesGregory L. Lucente identifies these two forces at work as two forms
of determinism: the first being "linguistic determinism"--"the proposition that the available
forms of language determine man's ideas about himself and his environment"--and the second
scientific or historical determinism-the proposition that man's development and all his
perceptions are determined by a given historical [or scientific] system outside of
language (Lucente 29). It is in the interplay between these two types of determinists that
Qfwfq eventually finds his self. (Mucher) Here Walter Mucher explains how Qfwfq acquires
his meaning of self, not just by biology but also through language, and since Qfwfq narrates
his stories, how he views himself is how we view him in some sense. This agrees with the
statement made earlier as Calvino focuses on linguistic determinism, or language to capture
Qfwfqs true essence. He does this by assigning Qfwfq characteristics like jealousy,
competitive, and at many points a need for love.

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Throughout Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino certain events arise that are hard if not
impossible to imagine, these events are depicted in some sense by Calvinos command and
knowledge of language by how he illustrates the basis of the event and eludes to actual event.
He uses the meanings of language and its roots to convey a story, whether that story cant be
visualized or not, he composes every sentences with a purpose. Whether that purpose is to
depict the undepictable or explain the the creation of language and its acquisition. Language
allows one to convey an idea, feeling, or experience this gives boundaries to language but if
used correctly the power and scope of language is immense, nothing shows this more then
Cosmicomics and Calvinos ability to redirect your attention to the conceivable and ignore or
move pass the unimaginable, where he tricks your mind into believing you have the true
image, but in reality there is no image, no word that can truly describe what is going on, but
allowing ourself to believe the impossible gives us the ability to depict the complexity of life,
language, and the universe, because somehow the impossible became reality in our world, why
limit ourselves, and Italo Calvino did just that.

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Works Cited and Consulted

Baldwin, James. If Black English Isnt Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?. Jacobus 798-801
Calvino, Italo. Cosmicomics. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 1968. Print
Jacobus, Lee A., eds. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. Print.
Langer, Susanne K. Language. Jacobus 772-779
Lars Bernaerts, Marco Caracciolo, Luc Herman. and Bart Vervaeck. "The StoriedLives of NonHuman Narrators." Narrative 22.1 (2014): 68-93. Project MUSE. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.
Lucente, Gregory L. Signs and Science in Italo Calvino's Cosmicomiche: Fantascienza as
Satire. Forum Italicum 17 1983 : 29-40.
Mucher, Walter J. Tracing the Modern Self in Italo Calvino's Cosmicomics: Qfwfq's Journey
through Spacetime". Extrapolation 38.2 1997: 119. Literature Resource Center. Web. 6
Dec. 2014.