When I created my first post for Lightness I made a collage of various computer parts. Looking at it reminds me of some of the basics concepts about Calvino’s Lightness. In literature, it is something that can be very complicated but from a different perspective, it is made to appear simple. I am reminded of Perseus, set with the task of beheading Medusa but achieving it by looking at her only through the reflection on his shield.
Thinking about this quality in reference to Tina Fey’s Bossypants, I am reminded of her time working at the YMCA in Illinois. She worked the shift from 5:30 am to 2:00 pm. She was fresh out of college and jobless. It took her a long time to find the job and she was strangely happy working there – for a while. She sometimes enjoyed the antics of the mentally challenged mail man and didn’t mind complaining about work with the other desk assistant (a middle-aged woman named Donna). However, after Fey started taking improv classes the job began to really wear on her. The residents who lived at the YMCA as well as the gym members were often rude or crass to her and she felt constantly fed up. A promotion opened up in the upstairs office. She knew that Donna, the other desk assistant would really love to get the job and that it would mean a lot to her. But Tina decided to apply for the position anyway. She applied for the job and got the position – it was easy. She wore jeans to the interview and told the interviewer that she only wanted the job so that she could pay for her improv classes.
To me, this shows the quality of Lightness because although the situation seems muddled and complicated, this was an easy decision for Fey to make. She obviously didn’t fit in with anyone she met at the YMCA and was not meant to sit behind a desk as anĀ assistant.