Annotated Bibliography
Abbot, H. P. The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative. NY: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
The book explores the features of the narrative, its perception by the reader, the authenticity and reliability of the narrative, and the interpretative nature of the narrative as a whole phenomenon. This work is important for understanding the validity of the Baron on the Trees’ narrative. Given the peculiarities of the narrative, based on Abbott’s findings, one can determine if the narrator can be trusted.
Calvino, Italo. The Baron in the Trees. Mariner Books, 2017
The Baron’s story is told as a memoir written by his younger brother, so the events are considered from his point of view. Much of the book is a clear account, attempting to analyze alternative versions of the same story. The narrator tries not to leave anything fantastic in the narrative; however, he can hardly be considered reliable since he presents his subjective view of the events.
Lucente, Gregory L., and Italo Calvino. “An Interview with Italo Calvino.” University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 26, no. 3, 1985, pp. 245–253. Web.
Lucente and Calvino discuss the notion of self-consciousness, determining that self-consciousness is important to guide one’s path, nonetheless being a subject to societal manipulation. Calvino uses self-conscious literary characters to depict different societies and their varying perception of life. This source explores Calvino’s development of characters that mirror society while seeking autonomy. It is positively related to other works as it uses Calvino’s notions to affirm or negate society’s influence on people’s lives.
Markey, Constance Daryl. “The Role of the Narrator in Italo Calvino’s Fiction.” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University Microfilms International, 1980, pp. 1–227.
Constance Daryl Markey features the narrator in Calvino’s fiction and their struggle to understand the meaning of life through a specific perspective. Calvino’s narrator shows contemporary people and their notions of humanity through a modernist attitude. An unfamiliar reader should discern Calvino’s dark humor and the dilemma of choice. This source is important in developing a narrative of free will using a character that is skeptical of its existence. Markey’s work will help illustrate the connection between one’s free will and societal expectations.
Toman, Lucia. “‘The only exemplar of a species’: Community and Authenticity in The Baron in the Trees.” EXCLAMAT! ON, 2019, pp. 47-58.
Toman presents the novel The Baron in the Trees as a youthful rebellion against society. Cosimo represents the paradox of simultaneously breaking ties with the community and realizing oneself as part of it. The main question that the author posed for himself was, is it possible to be an active member of society and remain true to one’s ideals?’ Toman emphasizes the autobiographical nature of The Baron in the Trees, which reflects the author’s attitude, who rethinks his social role. The work helps to analyze the duality of the Baron and attempts to justify his actions by the narrator.
Yacobi, Tamar. “Fictional Reliability as a Communicative Problem.” Poetics Today, vol. 2, no. 2, 1981, pp. 113–126. Web.
Tamar Yacobi analyzes the notion of fictional reliability as a communicative problem and illustrates that authors use writing to demonstrate the dilemma of choice. Yakobi argues that fictional characters exhibit accurate concepts of humanity and represent the circumstances through which people make decisions and their intricate connection to others. Yacobi’s writings prove that authors use fictional characters to illustrate individuals’ dilemmas concerning the pressure to conform to the community. The work helps to develop an accurate notion of societal pressure and why some people choose to rebel or conform to existing ideologies.
Weiss, Beno. Understanding Italo Calvino. The University of South Carolina Press, 1993.
Beno Weiss develops a biography on Italo Calvino, examining his life to gauge the dilemma of choices. The author uses secondary data, Calvino’s writings, to determine the efficacy of his thoughts. An individual should research Italo Calvino’s life to glimpse his ideology as it is present in most of his writings. The work plays a central role in reinforcing Calvino’s ideology as Weiss summarizes his work based on each book’s title.