The Cloven Viscount

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. This premise of a man literally split into “good” and “bad” halves feels like a fairy tale. Does Calvino’s fantastical concept effectively explore serious philosophical questions about human nature?

2. Calvino’s approach to moral complexity through literal division echoes other Italian writers who use supernatural elements to examine human nature, such as the magical realism in works like The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. What did you make of this approach of combining the fantastical with the philosophical?

3. The novella presents both extreme virtue and extreme evil as equally problematic for human society. Did this moral argument feel convincing to you by the story’s end?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Medardo’s philosophy at the end of the novel suggests that experiencing brokenness leads to deeper wisdom. Have you found that your own struggles or imperfections have taught you things that easier times couldn’t?

2. The community of Terralba becomes trapped between the Bad ’Un’s cruelty and the Good ’Un’s oppressive virtue. Think about times when you’ve encountered people with rigid moral certainties, whether harsh or overly righteous. What impact did their absolutism have on your relationship with them?

3. Pamela ultimately rejects both halves of Medardo individually, finding each incomplete in his own way. What qualities do you value most in the people you’re closest to?

4. The narrator observes that “sometimes one who thinks himself incomplete is merely young” (111). What does this insight suggest about the relationship between feeling incomplete and growing into yourself?

5. Both halves of Medardo attempt to impose their worldview on others, whether through violence or moralizing. When have you felt pressure to adopt someone else’s moral framework?

6. The reunited Medardo becomes “a mixture of goodness and badness” rather than achieving perfection (110). What does accepting your own contradictory impulses look like in practice?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novella was written in post-WWII Italy, when the country was grappling with the extremes of fascism and the challenges of rebuilding. How do you see Calvino’s exploration of moral extremism speaking to societies that have experienced political polarization?

2. The Huguenots represent a persecuted religious minority who have developed their own rigid moral system as a survival mechanism. What parallels do you see between their defensive extremism and marginalized communities today?

3. The village of Pratofungo creates its own alternative society based on acceptance. Consider how modern societies treat people who don’t conform to accepted standards of health or beauty. What does their joyful community suggest about embracing rather than hiding difference?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Calvino uses the child narrator to observe the adult world’s moral failures with both innocence and growing understanding. How did this narrative perspective shape your reading of the events?

2. The systematic halving of natural objects throughout the story creates a trail of the Bad ’Un’s influence. What effect did this motif have on your understanding of moral extremism’s impact on the world?

3. Dr. Trelawney serves as both a comic figure and the agent of Medardo’s final restoration, yet he spends most of the story avoiding human suffering. What role does this reluctant healer play in the novella’s exploration of achieving wholeness?

4. The duel between the two halves results in their mutual wounding along the original line of division. What does this climactic scene suggest about the relationship between opposing extremes?

5. Master Pietrochiodo discovers that he can easily create instruments of torture but struggles to build the Good ’Un’s charitable machines. What does this reveal about the relationship between technical skill and moral purpose?

6. Pamela’s strategic acceptance of both marriage proposals demonstrates her understanding that she’s dealing with two halves of one person. What does her approach reveal about navigating relationships with complex people?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to encounter your own “good half” and “bad half” as separate people, what do you think each would be like?

2. Write a prologue to the novella, set five years after the end of the story. What does Terralba look like now? What is the narrator’s role in the community?

3. Imagine that you’re adapting this story for a contemporary setting. What modern equivalent of the cannonball split might serve as the catalyst for such a division? How would you deal with the fabulist elements of the narrative?