Eutropian Territory

In Invisible Cities Marco describes Eutropia as "not one city but many"(64). Later when Kublai Khan and he are discussing the stories tales, Kublai Khan asks about Venice. Polo replies, "Every time I am talking about a city, I am talking about Venice"(86). In class we have been discussing the meaning of Invisible Cities and what classifies it as a novel. What is Polo's point?

At first, I believed the cities had no relation. The entries seemed to be simply discussing different cities and presenting to the reader their unique aspects. The entry on the city of Eutropia changes my perspective. What I find curious about this city is that only one of the "cities" within the city of Eutropia is inhabited at a time. I wonder if Calvino is making an analogy to the ups and downs of industry, economy, and bustling life in different parts of the world. It is possible that Calvino may be implying the deeper meaning that all cities are alike and work together to make up one 'city', one country. When life seems bad in one place, the people of Eutropia move to another place. "Their life is renewed from move to move" (64).

Calvino also says, "The inhabitants repeat the same scenes , with the actors changed..."(65). I believe this refers to the fact that the cities are not really different at all.