Glenn’s review of Collected Fictions > Likes and Comments

Glenn, in reading about labyrinths in robbe-grillet I learned a difference about 'maze' and 'labyrinth': one may be deterred or thwarted by a maze which is a labyrinth- but there are also labyrinths designed as meditative passages, some seen on the floors of certain old European churches...

the gift wrote: "Glenn, in reading about labyrinths in robbe-grillet I learned a difference about 'maze' and 'labyrinth': one may be deterred or thwarted by a maze which is a labyrinth- but there are also labyrinth..."

Excellent point, G! Yes, I studied the info on this website as a prep for my review:
http://www.labyrinthos.net/typology.html

I had an occasion to walk on a outside labyrinth that was part of a church's garden, a labyrinth very much like this one in the photo:


I actually own that book by R-G you refer to. Haven't read it yet, though.

Sabah wrote: "Glenn a wonderful review.. reading the paragraph of Desert Labryinth, one, recalled to mind an eerily similar dream of my own. So strange, your review compels a person to think beyond just the lite..."

Thanks so much, Sabah. I really appreciate you reading and, in turn, sharing your own dream experience.

I think it is one of the tragedies of the modern world that more people are not in tune with their own dreams and inner dream-life.

And, yes, this past week was most refreshing - returning, I'm even more energized to read and share reviews and comments with friends here on Goodreads.

Excellent review, Glenn, and you picked the perfect word. When I was reading his stories last year, I tried to do a diagram of all the inter-related themes, but it ended up too much of a tangle to do in 2D. A labyrinth.

Cecily wrote: "Excellent review, Glenn, and you picked the perfect word. When I was reading his stories last year, I tried to do a diagram of all the inter-related themes, but it ended up too much of a tangle to ..."

Thanks so much, Cecily! Your kind words mean a lot, coming from a dedicated Borges reader and reviewer. I recall a number of your reviews I enjoyed very much - Dreamtigers comes immediately to mind.

Ha! I can just imagine a thematic diagram of the writings of Borges. Might start out looking something like this:


BTW - My son who is a computer/game theory expert told me how someone actually created by computer one of the vast libraries outlined by Borges in one of his tales.

Glenn wrote: "Ha! I can just imagine a thematic diagram of the writings of Borges. Might start out looking something like this:"

Nice. Neater than mine, which was a tangle of bubbles and curved lines.

Glenn wrote: "BTW - My son who is a computer/game theory expert told me how someone actually created by computer one of the vast libraries outlined by Borges in one of his tales."

Yes, if you Google Borges library you can find many wonders. Not as wonderful as the original, but impressive nevertheless.

Cecily wrote: "Glenn wrote: "Ha! I can just imagine a thematic diagram of the writings of Borges. Might start out looking something like this:"

Nice. Neater than mine, which was a tangle of bubbles and curved li..."

Thanks for the info, Cecily. I will explore.

An awesome story; that's for sure, and one I've never been able to get out of my mind. Thanks for the review.

Marcia wrote: "An awesome story; that's for sure, and one I've never been able to get out of my mind. Thanks for the review."

Ha! You have a powerful memory of the story of memory. Sounds like there is a potential story there.

A great thought-provoking review, Glenn. I think I can easily answer some of them. Number 5- Kafka's complete stories. Number 6 - the most comprehensive psychology book out there. Thanks.

Sidharth wrote: "A great thought-provoking review, Glenn. I think I can easily answer some of them. Number 5- Kafka's complete stories. Number 6 - the most comprehensive psychology book out there. Thanks."

Thank you, sir! Some lovers of Kafka might say a book of his complete stories is the most comprehensive psychology book out there. :)

Actually, Psychology by David Myers might be the best bet. Not a completely objective judgement as I know David, a fine gentleman, from my publishing days.

I've contemplated those very questions many, many times. The thing is, it's in the meditation on what Id like to remember and forget that I find the emotional rewards. If I had completely remembered or forgotten the things I was trying to remember or forget, I would lose the mystery of it all. Thank goodness memory falters!

Interesting questions, Glenn, and a marvellous story. Life, literature, art, nature are too rich to have to choose. As for the senses....Still, the choices can spark wild imaginings and stories.
.

Forrest wrote: "I've contemplated those very questions many, many times. The thing is, it's in the meditation on what Id like to remember and forget that I find the emotional rewards. If I had completely remembere..."

Ha! Likewise, if I could only remember my experience with great literature, great art, great music, theater and dance along with family and friends, and some other chemical experiences, that would be good enough for me. The rest can go up in smoke. Bye-bye!!

Sylvie wrote: "Interesting questions, Glenn, and a marvellous story. Life, literature, art, nature are too rich to have to choose. As for the senses....Still, the choices can spark wild imaginings and stories.
."

I agree, Sylvie! And I'll take the intensity of all 3 senses. No need to settle for one in our imagination!

I read this tale because of your review, but I ended liking your review better than the tale itself...

Susana wrote: "I read this tale because of your review, but I ended liking your review better than the tale itself..."

Thanks, Susana! I try to make my reviews as fun and as readable as I possibly can; not exactly the two qualities Borges was after in his baroque tale. :)

Delicious questions, Glenn.

I think JLB shows it as far more of a curse than a gift; a disability, rather than an ability.

With your option #2, have you ever experienced a memory as intense and vivid as the actual experience? (I haven't.)

Forgetting all of just one year (#3) would probably be more of a blessing than a curse, because there would be so many gaps and disconnections that your life wouldn't make sense. But if the year were bad enough, maybe it would be a price worth paying - except by definition, you wouldn't know. Cool paradox (with shades of Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind).

Cecily wrote: "Delicious questions, Glenn.

I think JLB shows it as far more of a curse than a gift; a disability, rather than an ability.

With your option #2, have you ever experienced a memory as intense and v..."

As always, Cecily, thanks so much for reading and commenting.

I agree - The way Borges writes the story, it is certainly anything but a blessing.

I've given that question about memory of an experience vs. the experience itself a good bit of reflection over the years. Wouldn't it be great if our remembering could give us the intensity of our previous high-points? It would certainly go far in curing various addictions. Perhaps because memories do not equal prior direct experience speaks to the uniqueness of those direct experiences.

I'm not in the medical field myself, but, as I understand, people who have ECT frequently lose a portion of their memory. They usual do not like this happening. Same holds, by in large, for the loss of memory accompanying aging, particularly advanced age.

Perhaps as you know, 'Memory and Cognition' is one of the key areas in Psychology.

On a personal note, I have, if I may say, a quite exceptional memory when it comes to remembering past experience, faces, conversations, the books I've read, the music I've heard. But there is one area where I have a kind of dyslexia - learning foreign languages. No matter how hard I tried learning those Spanish words and phrases back in high school, my memory simply would not work. I tried again as an adult, with similar lack of success.

You've evidently considered this issue more than I have.

Memory gaps and lapses can be especially infuriating because there is so little we can do. If you lose a leg, you can get a prosthetic; it's not perfect, but it can do the job. But if you forget something, especially if you don't even know what it is you've forgotten, you're stuck unless someone else can tell you about it, and even then, is that really a memory?

Very true, Cecily. That’s why Alzheimer's can be so frightening. I recall my own father who suffered from the disease in his late 80s couldn’t remember what happened at the dinner table 30 seconds previous. Very disorienting.

Here is what one website has to say of Alzheimer’s: In stages, memory loss becomes far more severe. A person may not recognize family members, may forget relationships, call family members by other names, or become confused about the location of home or the passage of time. He or she may forget the purpose of common items, such as a pen or a fork. These changes are some of the most painful for caregivers and families

Yes, Alzheimer's must be terrifying, as a patient or the loved one of a patient, though ultimately, the patient often gets past the point of being aware enough to be fully aware of what's wrong.

What a premise, sounds like an interesting read...Glenn.

Henry wrote: "What a premise, sounds like an interesting read...Glenn."

That's right, Henry. This story has been stimulating readers' imagination for years, in the way unique to Borges.

I love your review, as I invariably do, but either I was rather slow when I first read this story, or your entire review is a spoiler.

Cecily wrote: "I love your review, as I invariably do, but either I was rather slow when I first read this story, or your entire review is a spoiler."

Thanks so much, Cecily. You are certainly right about the review being one big spoiler. That's why I was a bit hesitant to post at first. But when I saw all the other analysis on the web written in a similar way, I thought my approach was all right. Of course I wouldn't write such a spoiler review if the story was more than a few short paragraphs and would take more than 3 minutes to read.

I do not know who they are, but I know that one of them prophesied, at the moment of his death, that some day my redeemer would come. Since then my loneliness does not pain me, because I know my redeemer lives and he will finally rise above the dust. If my ear could capture all the sounds of the world, I should hear his steps.

OMG, this was beyond amazing. Glenn, you're wonderful. Thank you SO much for this review. Listing it.

Vessey wrote: "I do not know who they are, but I know that one of them prophesied, at the moment of his death, that some day my redeemer would come. Since then my loneliness does not pain me, because I know my re..."

Thanks so, so much for reading and your post here, Vessey!! You definitely made my day. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside knowing I was able to share my joy with you for this great Borges tale, which is one of my very favorites.

Fantastic review, Glenn! I love the photos! :)

Jennifer wrote: "Fantastic review, Glenn! I love the photos! :)"

Thanks so much, Jennifer! I love the black and earthy orange of the ancient Greek vases - and their simple figures really express the spirit of their various myths, certainly this one in particular.

And I enjoy the way the photographer captured the modern sculpture along with the spray of the water, giving the photo an air of mystery and grandeur.

BTW - I took down my review of The Stand. Having that one-star review on my review list was giving me a bad vibe.

Reminds me of Grendl, which is Beowulf told from the monster's perspective.

William wrote: "Reminds me of Grendl, which is Beowulf told from the monster's perspective."

Ah, yes, Gardner's 1971 novel Grendl. That is a great connection. Certainly Gardner didn't have to read this 1947 Borges tale as his scholarship and imagination and ability to write novels was powerful enough.

I get bad vibes on Facebook and take down my Anti-Trump posts all the time. I understand. You need to do what makes you feel best. There is nothing wrong with giving one star but I truly get what you are saying. I was trolled over giving too little stars to a Mitch Albom book! Lol! Crazy people are everywhere. Have a great weekend! :) <3

Jennifer wrote: "I get bad vibes on Facebook and take down my Anti-Trump posts all the time. I understand. You need to do what makes you feel best. There is nothing wrong with giving one star but I truly get what y..."

Thanks for your comments here, Jennifer. I can imagine having to deal with being trolled over. Fortunately, for me, all the comments on that thread were stated in cordial language, not even a drop of craziness.

Likewise, have a great weekend.

I've been trolled since but that was bad because the person said in a message that they had a cat that looked just like my cat in my picture and that they were thinking of poisoning it. I didn't respond back but I was a bit spooked. :(

Jennifer wrote: "I've been trolled since but that was bad because the person said in a message that they had a cat that looked just like my cat in my picture and that they were thinking of poisoning it. I didn't re..."

Such nastiness is spooky. You strike me as a sweet young lady - so sorry you were on the receiving end of that maliciousness. Fortunately, we are connected here on Goodreads with a number of booklovers who have a very positive vibe.