A wobbly suspension bridge, a tightrope walker, a rocky precipice—there are many images that might unsettle those with a fear of heights (or acrophobia). Today we consider the last of these examples, "precipice." It comes to us from the Latin praeceps or "headfirst," a word that brings to mind the fast, rushing downfall one might experience from such heights. As a literary reflection, we look to Italo Calvino's description of Octavia, the "spider-web city," in his postmodern novella Invisible Cities.

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Music: Adapted from Sonatine by Maurice Ravel, performed by Irene Posviatovska (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

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