This book explores concepts of space that have been elaborated across fields of practice and bodies of knowledge as varied as architecture, literature, and critical theory. Departing from the clear statement that the various chapters do not seek to postulate a ‘general theory of space’ (p. 3), Space as Storyteller nevertheless provides compelling and interconnected paths across literary and architectural landscapes, as these developed over the course of the twentieth century and beyond. In this process of discovery, the book dedicates particular attention to the architectonics of literature that emerge in the work of Italian Futurists and in Italo Calvino’s oeuvre, as well as to the literary strategies that inform architectural experimentation – both theoretical and material – in the postmodern era. A successful example of the possibilities offered by adopting a comparative approach to address literary and non-literary disciplines, Space as Storyteller is particularly appropriate for specialists of twentieth-century Italian literature and for scholars invested in the study of the interactions between architecture and literature.
This is a demanding but rewarding scholarly book: it presupposes a readership well versed in the language of critical theory, and familiar with the authors, cultural movements, and architects discussed in its chapters. Much like the multi-dimensional cultural objects it seeks to investigate, Space as Storyteller might be best described as a built environment, in which the author moves competently across the length, breadth, and depth of her investigations. With a methodology anchored in close readings informed by etymological considerations, Chiesa surveys a number of primary sources and case studies such as Futurist manifestos and theoretical pronouncements, novels by Calvino and Perec, essays and objects related to radical architectural experimentation, as well as built and imagined works of architecture.
Chapter 1 provides the theoretical grounding of this project through an analysis of Walter Benjamin’s idea of space as storyteller, as it emerges from his unfinished Arcades Project. Taking cue from the possibilities and realities that built spaces allow, Chiesa adopts the critical term ‘architecturability’, defined as ‘a way of understanding the origin of modern architecture in which repetition and potentiality are at work at the same time (instead of simple reality or, if you prefer, a fixed, specific structure)’ (p. 36). With this critical tool, the author sets off to discuss architecturability in the following chapters as a constant yet multifaceted cypher of literary and architectural practice. Chapter 2 probes the contributions of Futurist authors to discourses on ‘construction, architecture, space, and theatricality’ (p. 50). Of particular note is Chiesa’s lengthy analysis of Enrico Prampolini’s role in defining Futurist architectural and theatrical practice, which sheds light on a cosmopolitan but understudied and frequently sidelined protagonist of that cultural movement. With a chronological jump of half a century away from the avant-gardes, Chapter 3 compares the varying use of space and geography emerging from the pages of Calvino’s Invisible Cities with that found in George Perec’s Life a User’s Manual. Chapter 4 delves into the more architectural dimensions of Chiesa’s inquiry, opening with close readings of proclamations and photomontages by the Italian experimental architectural group Superstudio and illustrating their foundational value for the work of postmodern architect Bernard Tschumi, which is analysed in its theoretical pronouncements and literary connections, as well as in its built enviroments. Chapter 5 concludes this architectural inquiry by focusing on the work of Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Both the fourth and fifth chapter benefit from the inclusion of high-quality, black-and-white illustrations that provide a contextual, visual counterpart to Chiesa’s remarks.
Given the theoretical complexity and the variety of materials analysed, some of the formatting and organisational choices underpinning the structure of the book occasionally affect its readability. Some chapters present multiple parts, complete with sections and subsections, while other chapters only employ sections: this strategy responds well to the character of the materials analysed and to the internal coherence of each single chapter, but at times it requires an additional effort of adaptation to the different narrative pace and organisation of content. Lastly, there are a few instances in which the use of in-text citations for recurring primary sources is not immediately clear, as the book lacks a general list of the abbreviations used.
Overall, Space as Storyteller makes a compelling case for reconsidering space as a theoretical framework through which to examine cross-sections of literary, artistic and architectural modernity and postmodernity. In a time of reflection on the future of comparative and interdisciplinary studies, this book refrains intelligently from advancing a unifying theory on the matter. On the contrary, it builds upon the multiple and conflicting understandings of space as a physical and abstract entity to bridge methodological boundaries between disciplines, and to unearth original connections between the work and theoretical pronouncements of primary protagonists of modern and postmodern culture. At the same time, the book delivers an original analysis on case studies relevant to scholars of modern and contemporary Italian literature, illuminating unexpected cross-pollinations between literature and architecture.
