Questions, Resources, & General Banter - Borges Stories

[Barbara]

Bill wrote: "Barbara, Relax. References to labyrinths, mirrors, tigers are throughout Borges, not necessarily central themes, just some of his obsessions. There is a book of his poetry called "Dreamtigers".

A..."

Bill, you'll have to send me a definition of the word "relax" because I have no idea what it means. (Actually, don't send me the definition. I like not knowing what it is.)

Thanks for the recommendation on his book of poetry!!

But you still didn't tell me which stories in Ficciones includes labyrinths (or references to labyrinths)! (LOL)

[Zadignose]

Dare I open a thread or threads for other stories that go beyond our reading schedule? I'm not very actively reading Borges at this point, but I aim to pick up and read a story or essay now and again between other readings. I just read "The Immortal."

[Jim]

Zadignose wrote: "Dare I open a thread or threads for other stories that go beyond our reading schedule? I'm not very actively reading Borges at this point, but I aim to pick up and read a story or essay now and aga..."

For now, why don't you talk about the extra stories here. Be sure to let us know what collection each of them comes from.

[Zadignose]

Sounds good. Well, "The Immortal" is the first story in Labyrinths which was not part of our schedule of discussions. It's a tad longer than some of the other texts, at about 14 pages. It's a good one, and it deals with a familiar theme by again exploring the implications of the infinite, the idea that each man is ultimately all men, and it most directly approaches the question of what it means to be immortal.

Two fun quotes:

"Israelites, Christians and Moslems profess immortality, but the veneration they render this world proves they believe only in it, since they destine all other worlds, in infinite number, to be its reward and punishment."

"Like Cornelius Agrippa, I am god, I am hero, I am philosopher, I am demon and I am world, which is a tedious way of saying that I do not exist."

[Jim]

Zadignose wrote: "... which is a tedious way of saying that I do not exist." ..."


I think I'm going to get this quote tattooed on me, somewhere... maybe printed backwards on my forehead so I can read it in the mirror when I brush my teeth in the morning... would likely change the tone of my waking hours.

Will look for a copy of the story and report back later!

[Mekki]

http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/18000...

This blog post on The Invention of Morel seems to tie together alot of the influences that the novella has had on pop culture.

[Jim]

Mekki wrote: "http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/18000...

This blog post on The Invention of Morel seems to tie together alot..."

The writer makes some good points. Did you like the book?

[Zadignose]

Interesting, but the article also seems a bit overblown. It gives Bioy Casares credit for virtually everything that came after The Invention, while reminding us not to dwell too much on its own predecessors, as though he virtually sired all of literature (and cinema, and TV!) from out of a complete void.

[Jim]

Ashley wrote: "I really do wonder about this every time I come across American culture, which isn't all that often, but probably most often on the internet..."

Short answer: Americans aren't well versed in history, as in anything that happened before their lifetime. A combination of internet attention span coupled with Faux News approach to "journalism", creates this endless hyperbolic marketing of the idea du jour...

[mkfs]

Jim wrote: Short answer: Americans aren't well versed in history, as in anything that happened before their lifetime..."

Keep in mind that the content for these psuedo-educational TV shows is written by twenty-year old interns working on a Communications degree ;)

[Zadignose]

Additionally, it simplifies our comprehension (even if inaccurate) to avoid mentioning that the creative output of humanity is a chaotic, incomprehensible tangle of input, output, feedback, influence, innovation, and appropriation, and even the participants can't make sense of it or even necessarily trace their own influences.

[Mekki]

Jim wrote: "Mekki wrote: "http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/18000...

This blog post on The Invention of Morel seems to tie..."

Hi Jim
I thought it was good. I'm a fan of Sci-fi and detective type fiction. This novel had a little bit of both.

[Jim]

Mekki wrote: " This novel had a little bit of both..."

Definitely. This was a reread for me, so I knew the outcome, but during my first read, I definitely enjoyed how he rolled out the clues, as well as the sci-fi elements. I never figured out why the machine room had to be blue. Any thoughts on that?

[Jim]

Zadignose wrote: "Additionally, it simplifies our comprehension (even if inaccurate) to avoid mentioning that the creative output of humanity is a chaotic, incomprehensible tangle of input, output, feedback, influen..."

It is indeed a complex existence. As my friend here in France says, when it comes to the arts and sciences, we all stand on the shoulders of giants...

[Zadignose]

Jim wrote: "I never figured out why the machine room had to be blue. Any thoughts on that?.."

In some ways I tend to be a superficial reader. In any case, I just took this as an instance of specificity. The author gave a few specific notable details about various places to make them vivid, memorable, concrete. But I also thought the selection was arbitrary.

When the question arises about the sky--why is the sky blue?--I feel the most suitable answer is "because if it were yellow, you'd ask why is the sky yellow?"

[Jim]

Zadignose wrote: "Jim wrote: "I never figured out why the machine room had to be blue. Any thoughts on that?.."

In some ways I tend to be a superficial reader. In any case, I just took this as an instance of specif..."

I suppose that's as good an answer as any. Still, he seems to linger a bit on the description. Either way, it created a lovely image in my mind.

[Jim]

Ashley wrote: "Ah the blue room. If I may..."

Well done Holmes!

I'm going to copy this over to the TIoM discussion.

[Zadignose]

Among the other Borges stories I read, for some reason "The Zahir" stood out for me. It's basically a story of obsession, in perhaps the most extreme sense where obsession becomes possession, and the nature of the object one obsesses over is virtually irrelevant. At the same time, I thought it had interesting tangential stories and elements which are not necessary to the theme, and can only be viewed as tenuously related to it.

It's in Labyrinths.

So is the essay "The Argentine Writer and Tradition," which I recommend. It deals well with topics that I've found myself meditating on from time to time, particularly what it means to create cultural art, and the dangerous roles nationalism and cultural identity can play in hobbling a writer or leading to affectation.