Week 5- Labyrinths
by kenwardt
This week’s reading was a different experience for me, and I did not enjoy it as much as I have with the previous books. Luis Borge’s collection of stories were at many times very confusing and hard to follow. Similar to the title, his work put my mind into a maze and made it feel all jumbled up trying to follow his stories. I will give him credit, as the stories were interesting but I did find it hard to wrap my head around it all. I’d like to focus on one of the stories, “The Garden of Forking Paths”
“The Garden of Forking Paths” was an interesting read, and at times I found myself having to reread the lines as for some reason I would zone out or get lost in what was happening with the storyline. After reading it, I noticed the use of the labyrinth as a metaphor in the book Dr. Yu Tsun was searching for. The idea of time and space having multiple paths was intriguing to me, and the overall idea of mazes struck out to me. By the end of the story, Dr. Tsun realizes that the book he is searching for to connect with his ancestors is a novel, and how his choices throughout have been a part of the story in the book and it determined the outcome of his own life and others consequently.
After watching the lecture, I do agree in that the stories seemed to be like games with the reader, and that the idea of a labyrinth was fitting for the title, as the stories were just like that; a maze if you will, to make. You get lost until finally you start to understand what is going on.
I did appreciate the collection of short stories, as it was something I could read for a bit and be able to set down the book after finishing a few short stories, without having to remember what was happening at that point in time of say one longer story altogether. These collections of stories are memorable in a way that I can’t explain. I may be lost at times trying to understand what is happening, but I’m here for the ride, and it’s just like I am in a labyrinth; I don’t know what is ahead but I am curious to take the next turn.
My question to you all is: did you enjoy the way Labyrinths was written? Or was it a challenging book to continue reading?
“These collections of stories are memorable in a way that I can’t explain.” From what I know of Borges’s literature, and of his ideas about it, that would be enough for him. If you remember him, he is always quoting fragments from other works, be they literature, philosophy or historical moments that for some reason are an obsession for him. That is also the stuff of his fictions, the fragments that he takes to build his labyrinths. It is a firm start.
Hi Kenward! At the outset of my journey into Borges’ world through the pages of “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”, I found myself struggling to fully comprehend his writing style. Yet, as I ventured deeper into his labyrinthine stories, I began to embrace the enigmatic experience. On the first pass, I might not know exactly the direction in which I am heading towards. However, with the notes accumulated on each step taken, and, at times, revisiting the same path, the thrill of discovery only amplified with the thought of “at least I am heading in the right direction”. In the end, I was surprised (most of the time) by the destination Borges has taken me to; which really challenges me to reconsider if I really know what I think I know.
Hello Kenward! Like some of our peers in this class, I too did struggle to pursue reading this book, especially in the beginning. I was surprised by how the first story of ‘Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius’ was very philosophical, and just the entire concept of it was so out of reach for me. I would say though it kept getting better from there and after a couple chapters in, I was more encouraged to read the rest with more enjoyment and appreciation.