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Human vs. Inhuman Worlds
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Piranesi, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Embodied by the characters of Piranesi and the Other, Piranesi presents two competing visions of science and knowledge. For Piranesi, science is not a means to an end, but rather a way of connecting to and respecting his environment. Like the professor Arne-Sayles depiction of ancient wisdom, Piranesi’s science seeks to understand the world not from some detached, abstract perspective, but as one would get to know another person. This stance is most evident in the way he treats the animals, skeletons, and statues of the House—not as objects for study, but subjects, fellow Inhabitants of his world. As such, Piranesi’s science is a deeply emotional one, founded in his love for his world. When he’s cataloging the House’s many statues or tracking the Tides, he is motivated not by the possibility of some great discovery, but by the mere act of engaging and connecting with the world.
While the Other shares Piranesi’s zest for knowledge, his philosophy surrounding the discipline is diametrically opposed. Embodied by his quest for ancient wisdom, i.e., “Great and Secret Knowledge,” the Other’s scientific endeavors are motivated by personal ambition and gain. Though he attempts to argue otherwise, it is clear from his disdain for and disinterest in the House that he cares little about truly understanding his environment. He rarely travels beyond First Vestibule and often mocks Piranesi’s interest in the House’s many halls and statues. In short, the Other’s quest for knowledge is a means to an end: he merely wants to gain the powers—flight, invisibility, etc.—granted by the “Great and Secret Knowledge.” Ultimately, the Other’s selfishness backfires, with him drowning in the very Halls he hoped to exploit for personal gain. Having never taken the time to truly learn about the Tides, the Other does not anticipate—as Piranesi does—the incoming flood and the dangers it poses. His self-centered, exploitative approach to scientific discovery, in other words, leaves him largely ignorant of the subject of his own studies. As such, the Other’s fate exposes the flaws inherent in his worldview, suggesting that knowledge is best and most successfully pursued and attained out of genuine interest in, and positive regard for, one’s subject.
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Science and the Pursuit of Knowledge ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Science and the Pursuit of Knowledge appears in each part of Piranesi. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Science and the Pursuit of Knowledge Quotes in Piranesi
Below you will find the important quotes in Piranesi related to the theme of Science and the Pursuit of Knowledge.
Part 1 Quotes
The Beauty of the House is immeasurable; its Kindness infinite.
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Prayer-like, this saying reappears often throughout the novel and symbolizes Piranesi’s love and idolization of the House, as well as his personification of it. While the House is essentially Piranesi’s word for the world, it is not—as shown here—a passive, abstract idea to Piranesi. He has just escaped death by flood, and the discovery of a marble finger in his hand is, to him, proof enough that the House had a hand in his good fortune. Just as with the statues and the birds, Piranesi sees the House as endowed with agency, and he has no trouble believing that the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debiti
In all of these places I have stood in Doorways and looked ahead. I have never seen any indication that the World was coming to an End, but only a regular progression of Halls and Passageways into the Far Distance.
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Seemingly endless, Piranesi’s world, or “House” as he calls it, is filled with repeating elements, like Doorways, Halls, Passageways, etc. While this might sound to the reader like a drawn-out metaphor for own world, for Piranesi, this is his entire reality, and he does not question it. Piranesi may be a scientist and careful about making hasty conclusions—notably, he does not outright conclude that the World is endless, but that there is no “indication” of an “End”—but he does not think anything is unusual with his world, nor his place within it. This establishes Piranesi’s starting point as a character: Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferen
And You. Who are You? Who is it that I am writing for? Are you a traveler who has cheated Tides and cross Broken Floors and Derelict Stairs to reach these Halls. Or are You perhaps someone who inhabits my own Halls after I am dead?
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Here, Piranesi addresses the reader, the supposed “sixteenth” person of the world. Unlike the other people in his “list of all the people who have ever lived,” however, Piranesi does not know who the reader is, nor if they even exist. His knowledge of the word is limited to his observations, and though he can imagine there might be someone to read his journals, he is uncertain: as far as he knows, there have only ever been 15 people to inhabit the House, and only two are still living. His curiosity about the existence of another human being is thus Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae
In accordance with the first system, I have named two years 2011 and 2012. This system strikes me as deeply pedestrian. Also I cannot remember what happened two thousand years ago which made me think that years a good starting point. According to the second system I have given the years names like ‘The Year I named the Constellations’ and ‘The Year I counted and named the Dead.’ I like this much more. It gives each year a character of its own. This is the system I shall use going forward.
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Here, Piranesi expresses confusion over his use of two different dating systems for his journals. He does not understand why he would use numbers like 2011 and 2012, suggesting that they are not only “pedestrian,” but nonsensical: he is not 2000 years old, so why would he choose such a date as a “starting point”? This line of reasoning, while logical to Piranesi, begs serious questions for readers of the novel. Piranesi may be unfamiliar with the Gregorian Calendar—the calendar to which such dates belong. But his readers are not, and the calendar’s presence in Piranesi’s world—alien though it may Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omni
Do trees exist? Many things are unknown. Once—it was about six or seven months ago—I saw a bright yellow speck floating on a gentle Tide beneath the Fourth Western Hall. Not understanding what it could be, I waded out into the Waters and caught it. It was a leaf, very beautiful, with two sides curving to a point at each end. Of course it is possible that it was part of a type of sea vegetation that I have never seen, but I am doubtful. The texture seemed wrong. Its surface repelled Water, like something meant to live in Air.
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Under the journal heading of “Do trees exist?” Piranesi recounts his encounter with a strange yellow “leaf” floating on the water. With its curved sides and a surface that repels water, it does not resemble the sea vegetation he is accustomed to, and Piranesi wonders at its origins. Such perplexity is both comical and mysterious, as the answer to Piranesi’s confusion seems to lie within the very title of his entry: this type of leaf clearly belongs to a tree. Piranesi, however, appears completely oblivious to this fact, as well as to his own knowledge of it. It is almost Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit
Part 2 Quotes
I lined a fishing net with heavy-gauge plastic. Inside I placed what I thought was the right amount of nesting material for two such enormous birds. It approximates three days’ fuel. This was no insignificant amount and I knew that I might be colder because I had given it away. But what is a few days of feeling cold compared to a new albatross in the World?
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Here, Piranesi gifts the two Albatross material to build their new nest. Though this comes at a significant personal cost to Piranesi—the material he gives them is what he uses to keep himself warm—he does not think twice about the sacrifice. This speaks not only to Piranesi’s selflessness and generosity, but also his reverence for the natural world and its inhabitants, human or otherwise. Piranesi perceives an interconnectedness between the different inhabitants of the House and sees it as his duty to care for others as they do him; he doesn’t see himself as superior simply because he’s a human Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit
So this, as far as I can tell, is what the birds told me. A message from Afar. Obscure Writing. Innocence eroded. Interesting. I will allow some time to elapse—say a few months—and then I will examine this communication again to see if the intervening events can shed any light upon it (and vice versa).
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Here, Piranesi attempts to interpret a message from the birds. This is a testament to the strength of Piranesi’s bond with the animals of the House, not just in that he is able to understand them, but that also that they would choose to communicate with him in the first place. Clearly, they share the same feelings of interconnectedness that Piranesi does and see it as their duty to help him. Their shared lexicon of the House’s various statues proves essential in this venture, for it is through them the birds attempt to warn Piranesi of coming events, flying to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit al
I realized that the search for the Knowledge has encouraged us to think of the House as if it were a sort of riddle to be unraveled, a text to be interpreted, and that if we ever discover the Knowledge, then it will be as if the Value has been wrested from the House and all that remains will be mere scenery. The sight of the One-Hundred-and-Ninety-Second Western Hall in the moonlight made me see how ridiculous that is. The House is valuable because it is the House. It is enough in and of Itself. It is not the means to an end.
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Piranesi expresses his growing disillusionment with the Other’s search for the “Great and Secret Knowledge.” Though he has long followed the Other’s direction, his trip to the One-Hundred-and-Ninety-Second Western Hall has made him realize here that their goals are fundamentally misaligned. Unlike the Other, who sees the House as some “riddle to be unraveled” or “text to be interpreted,” Piranesi realizes that he values the House as an end “in and of Itself.” His vision of scientific endeavor, in other words, is one of appreciation, not exploitation; the point of learning about something is not to gain something from it, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum vol
Two memories. Two bright minds which remember past events differently. It is an awkward situation. There exists no third person to say which of us is correct. (If only the Sixteenth Person were here).
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Piranesi contemplates the difficulty of confirming the Other’s claim concerning his memory loss. Without a third, independent party to verify one of their versions of the events, the question of what really happened becomes a matter of debate. Though Piranesi does not believe the Other would lie to him, neither does he necessarily trust another person’s version of events over his own. This problem gets at the very heart of the question of what is “truth,” and whether memory is a reliable source of knowledge. As a narrative device, this epistemological problem puts the reader in a unique position: readers Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit be
“You said you met 16. But you also said 16 does not know the way here. Meaning that you must have met him in his own Hall or, at any rate, in some Remote Region. This surprises me because I do not believe you have undertaken any long journeys since I have known you.” I smiled at the Other, awaiting his answer, which I fully expected would be very interesting.
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Here, Piranesi exposes the logical holes in the Other’s narrative about his meeting with 16. In typical Piranesi fashion, however, he does not assume deception or ill-will on the part of the Other, but rather “smile[s],” patiently awaiting what he expects will be an “interesting” answer. It does not occur to him that to consider the possibility that the Other might be lying. As such, this moment highlights one of the core ironies of Piranesi’s character. While he is incredibly perceptive as a scientist, easily spotting the logical gaps in the Other’s story, he is radically unperceptive when it comes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui
Part 3 Quotes
I stopped reading and stood up, breathing hard. I had a strong urge to fling the Journal away from me. The words on the page—(in my own writing!)—looked like words, but at the same time I knew they were meaningless. It was nonsense, gibberish! What meaning could words such as ‘Birmingham’ and ‘Perugia’ possibly have? None. There is nothing in the World that corresponds to them. The Other was right after all. I had forgotten many things!
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Reading his own journal entry for Stanley Ovenden, Piranesi realizes that he has indeed forgotten much from his own past. Though the writing is clearly his, he has no recollection of writing it, and many of the words used appear as “gibberish” to him, like Birmingham. This is a pivotal moment in the story, for while such words do not “correspond” to anything in his world, they do correspond to things in the reader’s world, namely cities. For the first time, then, the reader and Piranesi’s understanding and interpretation of events begin to dramatically diverge. The reader, recognizing the scenes Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tem
Part 4 Quotes
I forget. I forget. Yesterday I could not think of the word for lamp-post. This morning I thought that one of the statues spoke to me. I passed some time (about half an hour I think) talking to it. I am LOSING MY MIND. How horrible, how terrible to be in this dreadful place and MAD. I am DETERMINED TO KILL him before this happens. Before I forget why I HATE HIM.
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This note, assembled by Piranesi from the scraps found in the gull nests, depicts Piranesi—or rather, Matthew Rose Sorensen—during his descent into madness after he first came to the House. Though Piranesi is personally unsure of the writer’s identity, several clues indicate it is him. Not only does the person describe themselves as losing their memory, a fate which has clearly befallen Piranesi, but it also describes their habit of speaking to statues. Though obvious to the reader, Piranesi’s failure to recognize himself as the writer is not entirely surprising. Despite the parallels between their situations, Piranesi and the author Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Reru
One sentence puzzles me: The world was constantly speaking to Ancient Man. I do not understand why this sentence is in the past tense. The World still speaks to me everyday.
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Here, Piranesi puzzles over the use of the past tense to describe how the world used to speak to “Ancient Man.” For him, the World is not a static backdrop, but a dynamic, lively force that takes an active role in his daily life. The notion that such a connection is a relic of the past does make sense to him: He speaks to the world “everyday,” and, from his perspective, it always speaks back. So deep is his sense of connection that Piranesi considers himself a child of the House; in a very literal sense, he sees the world Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae
