Primo Levi and the Terrestrial Condition
Journal
ENTHYMEMA
ISSN
2037-2426
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2023
Author(s)
Abstract
In his stories, Primo Levi presents contrasting planetary visions of Earth: one depicting it as an expanding technosphere made of entangled beings, and the other as a world of disparities impacted by the agency of a mutated humanity. But Levi's ideas of planet do not solely advocate for a utopian cosmopolitanism of all living beings; he critically probes the tension between technology's promises in industrialized societies and the worldview that sees Earth merely as an exploitable resource. Moreover, his stories emphasize the divisions and the contradictions created by the planetarization of the logic of industrial modernity. This essay analyzes selected short stories from Vizio di forma, seeking to unpack Levi's intricate engagements with planetary concepts and the emergent idea of a terrestrial condition. Central to this exploration is how Levi's planetary vision reflects the inherent tensions between the individual and the collective, and between different scales and ways of existing.
Language
English
Keywords
Planetarity
Primo Levi's Science Fiction
Planetary turn
Anthropocene
Gaia
literature
italian literature
ecocriticism
non human subjects
Number
33
Start page
26
End page
43
Subject(s)
Division(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
ENT-33-Guaraldo.pdf
Size
378.54 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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