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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that examines Italo Calvino's short story "Adventure of a Reader," which is psychologically complex, as this author within the framework of a brief narrative creates a detailed character study of a man who has intimacy problems, which seem to stem from egotism and an obsessive interest in reading, but which Calvino also intimates stem from the character's careful wall of psychological defenses, which keep him isolated from the pain of rejection, but also from making deep connections with other human beings. No other sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: KL9_khcaladv.rtf
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to stem from egotism and an obsessive interest in reading, but which Calvino also intimates stem from the characters careful wall of psychological defenses, which keep him isolated from the
pain of rejection, but also from making deep connections with other human beings. The story begins with Amedeo Oliva, the protagonist, searching out an isolated location at the beach,
with the express purpose of blocking out the world so he can concentrate on what he loves most--reading a book. Through brilliantly evocative description, Calvino establishes Amedeos character as someone
who is compulsive, inflexible and a prisoner of ritualistic behavior of his own invention. Before settling down to read, he checks the wind velocity, carefully folds his clothes, and situates
his beach cushion so that even the elements will not disturb his concentration. Calvino explains that for some time, Amedeo had created for himself behavior that kept his participation
in "active life to the minimum" (Calvino 256). Amedeo loved action. In fact, "love of action nourished his whole character, all his tastes" (Calvino 256). Yet increasingly, as
the years go by, Amedeos yearning to "be some who did things, declined, declined until he wondered if he had ever really harbored that yearning" (Calvino 256). Amedeo would
rather read about romance and adventure, read the work of Stendhal, Dostoevsky, Balzac, Tolstoy, Flaubert and Proust, rather than welcome any aspect of romance or adventure into his own life.
When an beautiful woman settles on the beach to sunbathe within close proximity to Amedeo, he resists his attraction to her. He rationalizes that speaking to her would lead to
a romantic tryst and that might entail the possibility of a long, boring evening in which he would be forced to talk to another person rather than read. Nevertheless,
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