This week’s reading of Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges was not the most pleasant experience for me. Out of all the pieces of literature we have read so far, this has got to be the least favorite. I would say 80% of the time, I honestly did not know what Borges was necessarily talking about. In my head, his stories are little labyrinths themselves, trying to grasp the stories and messages he was trying to relay was a puzzle I had a hard time solving already. I think the first story of ‘Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius’ set me off in the wrong foot because I genuinely struggled with that a lot, if not the most. My mind was wandering while reading this specific story due to the fact that I just couldn’t grasp the thought of it. Some parts were cool here and there, but not entirely as the other stories were.
However, I do appreciate how he writes. He explains the scenes nicely, and what a brain he has to come up with stories such as the ones in this book! Though sometimes I feel like he was too intelligent of a man for me to be reading his work. I admired how like Cartucho, his stories weren’t continuous to page 1 to whatever. It was a collection of different stories, so I didn’t feel much pressure trying to remember what happened in page 29 and thinking if it would be anything significant to the story being told in page 98. His stories were very mysterious to me, it gave me science-fiction vibes at one point and having an existential crisis in some others.
I did enjoy reading some stories such as ‘The Garden of Forking Paths’. This story was intriguing to me, especially with the unexpected ending it entailed. For some reason, while reading it, it made me think of Dr. Strange, maybe because of his ability to control and weave through time. ‘The Lottery in Babylon’ was also another story that I appreciated. It kind of resonated with me that some people just get to be lucky in life, and some are left to be losers for the rest of theirs.
The question I leave with you all today is, was there a particular story in this collection that caught your eye? If so, what about it was so intriguing to you? Otherwise, why don’t you think none of these resonated with you?
You are right, Borges somehow develops the idea of “multiverses” in these stories, something that is common for many sci-fi fans today. Could it be that these similarities help us understand, and above all, enjoy this way of this kind of writing? It is true that Borges is a very peculiar writer. But as Dr. Beasley-Murray says in his lecture, what is interesting is also to see to what extent he is playing and what we do with the game that he is proposing.
Hi there!
To answer your question, I dont think there was a particular story or plot line that necessarily stood out to me while reading, as much like yourself and some of the other members of the class I was often slightly lost while reading. I think this sense of confusion often made it hard to conceptualize what genre or theme was being described, as Borges certainly plays with these elements of story writing. Reading Labyrinths felt more like a physical experience of reading rather than a more common visual or imaginary experience of reading.
Hi Julienne! My personal highlight was “The Garden of the Forking Paths” as well! I really enjoyed all the science fiction type themes and questions it raised. I didn’t initially think about it that way, but you’re totally right about how the doctor in this story is a lot like Dr.Strange with his ability to see all possible universes.