Week Thirteen: "All At One Point" (1pts)

 “All At One Point” by Italo Calvino condenses the Big Bang theory into a moment of pure love. Calvino places us into the point of view of Qfwfq and their recollection of the moment that made space. There’s no grand novum that shakes the familiar or speculates something from our future, its just pure character voice recounting a particular moment that has stuck with them since the beginning of time-literally. 

Calvino plays with the idea of a collapsed universe through Qwfq’s retelling of the neighbor situation. Humorously, because these people are so close they refuse to really associate with one another. They do speak to each other, but only a select handful. Qwfq’s choice of company is that of “Mrs. Ph(i)Nk0, her friend De XuaeauX, a family of immigrants by the name of Z'zu, and Mr. Pbert Pberd.” Calvino aggravates the interactions between these folks and makes it pretty obvious that, while humorous to the reader, the petty interactions between them are really unenjoyable. That all changes, however, when conversing with Mrs. Ph(i)Nk0. She’s valued throughout the community, despite the attempts via the cleaning lady to disavow her adn the rest of the Z’zus.

  

My joy of being concealed, punctiform, in her, and of protecting her, punctiform, in me; it was at the same time vicious contemplation (thanks to the promiscuity of the punctiform convergence of us all in her) and also chastity (given her punctiform impenetrability)...

Her ability to appeal to all causes the Big Bang. She spreads her arms wide and offers to make them noodles, which is a selfless act stemming from love. Calvino, in all of its absurdity, credits love with creating the universe.

It’s this theme that makes this short story literary. Whereas plenty of sci fi is abstract and focuses on a particular character, this work takes it a step further by examining love and humanity in the abstract. It’s comical that the universe could be created by a woman offering to make noodles for her neighbors, but the mythos is rooted in a particular theme that carries the entire story. Without love or interaction, there would be no purpose to an already absurd existence. 

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