Michael Lampasona

This story is about a lottery that takes place in Babylon. At first, the lottery seems like any other lottery - whoever wants to enter must pay a fee and is granted a chance to win a pooled prize. This lottery is run by "the Company." Eventually the lottery evolved, and those who entered were given a chance to win a pooled some or be penalized. More and more people ended up entering the lottery, because if a man did not buy a ticket he was considered to have no spirit of adventure. Eventually, the picked "loser" of the lottery was forced to serve jail time. The lottery gained popularity, and in time the reward became not being penalized - with death.

I thought this story was interesting. Borges talks about his common theme of infinity towards the end of the story. I certainly would not like to participate in this lottery, but then again if I lived in Babylon I wouldn't have a choice.

Emily Skahill

i think the stories in this book are getting better as they go on, because i really liked this book. it's probably because it reminded me of The House of Leaves and Zampano as well as Traunt's obsession with the book. Borges became obsessed with trying to figure out the novel just like Traunt's life revolved around what Zampano wrote and the way he lived his life. I really like this story, it's really interesting. i liked it so much i actually thought it was too short. i also think Borges could write another short story about someone finding the book in the library, sort of Jumanji like.

Emily Skahill

the House of Asterion is about a half man half bull thing living in a labyrinth. honestly i feel bad for the Minotaur. no one comes to visit him except for every 9 years and he runs around playing games and making up imaginary people.  i like greek mythology and it was interesting how Borges wrote it from this perspective but even so, i feel so bad for him. no one deserves to be alone! it was short though, and i loved this story for that! Borges should have never wrote anything very long, because he is a very boring writer. his readers would have been a lot better off.

Emily Skahill

i like the Zahir, much more than i've liked any of the other stories we've read. unlike a lot of the stories we read this sort of seems like it could really happen. if it did in today's world the person would be put in a mental hospital. it also sort of reminded me of the lord of the rings, the obsession with a coin. i don't really understand why the coin would bring him to god, thats a pretty out there idea in my opinion. i still don't like how Borges writes. i always have to reread everything more than once. i wish i could write more about my reactions to these, but seriously even though i liked this story there isn't much to say. 

Kristin Todd

I thought that "The Book of Sand" was really interesting.  It was really easy to follow and provided a mystery and something to think about for the reader.  It was intriguing how the book was a labyrinth to the reader- always changing.  It definitely reminded me of the labyrinth from House of Leaves because it was always changing depending on who was inside or trying to go inside.  I found that the man who bought the book wasn't that skeptical of the man selling it.  If it were me, I would have thought about buying the book longer and even trusting the man a little less.  But, then again, it probably wouldn't make a good short story.  The hyperlink was also pretty interesting.  It provided a different outlook on the story because it said that it didn't really matter what order the story was in.  The fact that the hypertext was interactive was also good because it was a puzzle that you had to figure out based on the plot.  But, like the book in the story, the pages kept changing so it made it harder to figure out the puzzle.

Kristy Medina

When first reading the title, Book of Sand, you can immediately think Borges will write about religion (even though Borges is not predicative, he is really consistent with the topics he discusses.) And anyways, I thought about why the metaphor sand for a religious book like the Bible. When the 'seller' starts describing the book, like talking about the page numbers and how they don't go in order, I immediately thought of House of Leaves and how different and innovative authors can get with these books. Also similar to House of Leaves I thought about how the set up of the book would be if the pages do not go in order...like how it would be read and how to follow it. But then it is told that the book is called the book of sand because it has no beginning, middle, or end, so it wouldn't be coherent anyways. As a reader reading a mystery story (or what I would call mysterious) I tried to guess what would happen to the narrator after buying the book because I knew it wouldn't be good and I guessed right (sort-of). I knew it was going to bring the narrator bad luck of some sorts. The book actually did lead to something bad in the narrator's life. The obsession the narrator had reminded my of Navidson's obsession with the unknowing and it was coincidental how both characters lost the people closest to them because of this obsession. In the end, Borges again leaves us with a very interesting ending about how the narrator won't even enter the street in which he left the book (also how he wouldn't burn it because the fire would infinitely burn.) The short story anyways, is really really short just like House of Asterion. I liked it a lot.

Julie Morvitz

I really liked The Book of Sand. It reminded me a lot of The Zahir, because the narrator becomes obsessed with the book, just like the narrator becomes obsessed with the Zahir. The difference in these stories is that in The Zahir, the narrator couldn’t stop thinking about the Zahir even after he got rid of it, and I don’t think it ever left him. We don’t really know if the narrator is still obsessed with the book after he leaves it in the library, but it seems more like he can move on with his life, even if he can’t walk on the street where the library is. The story, like many other Borges short stories, includes the idea of the labyrinth. I liked the idea of a never ending book, but there was no way of actually reading the book. Besides it not having a beginning page or an end page, there was no consistency in the middle and none of the pages were in order. Nonetheless, I liked the story.

Carly Cooper

I think this story was a really good one to be the last story we read in this class. It integrates like all the themes we have been discussing, it is a perfect example of the kinda of fictional stories that Jorge Luis Borges always writes. The theme of obsession is one that has been repetitive throughout the semester and again here the narrator has an unexplained obsession with this book and has isolated himself just like both main characters in House of Leaves. Another aspect of Borges' writing is that he keep talking about the story or book a hundred and one nights which still is a question i have as to why he constantly references it. 

I also really liked this story, i have really enjoyed the stories toward the end of the book and i am better able to understand them. I thought it was really intriguing though I don't understand why he feels obligated to hide the book and not share its mysteriousness with the world.

Michael Lampasona

This story is about a man who visits Jorge Luis Borges to attempt to sell him a Bible. Borges tells the man that he has plenty of bibles, and that he is not interested. The man then shows Borges the Book of Sand. This book is limitless, and the beginning and end of it can never be reached. This fascinates Borges, who then desperately wants to purchase the book. He buys it from the man, and soon becomes obsessed with it. The story ends with Borges hiding the infinite book at the basement of a library, to end his obsession. However, he still refuses to walk down the street of that library.

This story had themes that are common in Borges' works - infinity and obsession. Borges becomes obsessed with the never ending, labyrinth of a book. Luckily, he is able to get rid of it, but not after it has altered his life. This was a very typical Borges short story.

Michael Lampasona

This story is about a king who hires a poet to create a poem about the history of Ireland. The poet comes back with a rehearsed poem that the king enjoys and appreciates. He gives the poet a silver mirror as a gift, and instructs him to come back with another poem. The poet comes back with a less rehearsed, stranger poem. Surprisingly, the king enjoys this poem even more, and rewards the poet with a golden mask and instructs him to come back with another poem. The poet comes back, this time with one line. He recites it to the king, and both of them are awestruck by the meaning of this line; both believe they truly heard beauty. The king gives the poet a dagger to kill himself. The poet commits suicide, and the king becomes a commoner after hearing this one line.

This story was quite deep. It makes me very curious what this one line was, or could have been about to cause such strong reactions from the king and the poet. It must have been very moving, because it changed both of their lives drastically.

Michael Lampasona

In this story, Jorge Luis Borges meets a younger version of himself while he is sitting on a bench. He is seventy years old at the time, and his younger counterpart is around twenty years old. Borges talks to the younger version of himself and tries to convince himself that this is not a dream. He tells the younger Borges facts about his life that only he would know. The younger Borges still has his doubts, however he seems convinced when the older Borges shows him an American bill with a date from the future on it. At the end, they agree to meet again, but neither shows.

I found the idea of meeting your future self interesting. It was amusing how Borges had such a hard time convincing himself that it wasn't just a dream, and he later explained how maybe it was just a dream for his younger self. This story reminded me of concepts of time travel, and it's potential problems. Overall, it was an enjoyable short story.

Victoria Gornopolskaya

When reading this story I imagine a circular sort of novel in which the pages are scattered over a 360 degree angle. A book which contains bits of every story that was ever told is what “The Book of Sand” represents to me. Borges attempts to put together this infinite creation only to become obsessed and enslaved by this tedious labor. At least he was able to recognize that he had a problem, which he fixed by getting rid of the book. However, I do think that Borges finding the man who traded him the book and demanding a refund would have been a far superior ending because it would involve more plot driven action. Overall it was pretty safe but I do appreciate it for its imaginative qualities.

Victoria Gornopolskaya

“The Other,” by Jorge Luis Borges was very creative and imaginative in its context. It involves two men meeting at a park bench, only Borges feels a strange familiarity in this other man. The other man is actually turns out to be Jorge Luis Borges as well, except he is much younger. The narrator is the older, greyer Borges. The two men engage in a conversation, the older Borges offers advice to the younger Borges on his literary development and progress for the future. I find it ironic that the older man was much more affected by this phenomenon than the younger man. I thought the younger man should’ve taken more of an active interest in this encounter with his future self because he could’ve gained a lot more out of it. It’s not every day that such a phenomenon occurs. When the conversation is over the two men agree to meet at the same bench the next day, only they don’t. They both lie to one another, which is quite sad, because I would be way more enthusiastic if I had the opportunity to meet my future self.

“The Mirror and the Mask” by Jorge Luis Borges was an exciting story. It was about a king who chose a very knowledgeable poet to summarize for him a brief history of Ireland in the form of a poem. The first time, the poet’s work was very lengthy and rehearsed. The king was astounded and rewarded the poet. The second time the poet wasn’t as thorough and detailed, but the king was moved nonetheless, even more so than the first time. The third time the poet recited only a single verse and brought the king to into a standstill. He was so amazed that the poet was able to capture such a long period of time in that one line, and handed him a dagger. The poet ends up killing himself and the king becomes a commoner. It is incredible to imagine how one line of poetry could have such a profound affect on people.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Book of Sand”

“The Book of Sand” is the story of how Borges came to be the owner of a vast infinite novel called The Book of Sand. This story focuses on the theme of a labyrinth which is prominent throughout this entire book. A poor bible salesman comes into Borges’s apartment hoping to sell him something. When Borges shows no interest in purchasing a Bible the man pulls out The Book of Sand, a rare, limitless novel which contains no beginning or end. Borges is intrigued by this book and makes a quick trade in exchange for the novel. The novel turns out to be a menace to Borges. The only thing he can do is attempt to find order in his very disorderly new novel. He has been at it for months and to no avail. Borges’s obsession draws a parallel to Johnny Truant, who also works tirelessly to complete a disorganized manuscript. This book now taunts and debilitates him. Because he can’t grasp the power this book has over him, he decides that the best thing to do is to hide it high in the shelf of a library. Though he still feels anxious when he walks near this library, his decision was made for the best. I thought this story was very straightforward and interesting. I think it would be wonderful to find such a book even if it is impossible to read, it can still do something powerful to the mind.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Other,” “The Mirror and the Mask”

This next story by Borges is a social satire between the young and old. Borges is about seventy years old; he sits in a familiar bench only to realize he is in the presence of his once former self. This other man is about twenty, he is just starting out his career as a writer, and he reads many books which he uses for inspiration. He seems so focused on his career to the extent that he fails to notice this great presence before him. The older Borges tries to guide this younger man but to no avail. The younger Borges responds in disbelief and indifference. This lack of concern is disappointing to the older Borges because he realizes there is no way to reach out to this man. Perhaps he had an important message to deliver to him concerning his future. It’s a shame that both men leave the bench feeling empty when they have such close ties to one another. Perhaps some people fear their future and choose not to get in the way of what is meant to be someday.

“The Mirror and the Mask” was very sentimental and unusual. It reminded me of a fairytale in some aspects. There was a king who appointed a poet the task of writing a manuscript for an allotted period of time. It seems that during each time when the anniversary of this day passed, the poet became less sure of his capabilities and the king just became more proud of the poet’s accomplishments. The poet was awarded a silver mirror for his first labor, a golden mask for his second and a dagger for his third, which he used to kill himself. It seems that the deteriorating quality of the poet’s work reflects how difficult times are becoming outside the realms of the kingdom. The poet mirrors the quality of life in its present state. At the end the king himself becomes a beggar, who never speaks the words of that third poem. I guess that third poem must’ve been a line that said it all, if it made the poet kill himself and turned the king into a beggar.

The Book of Sand

My first thought going into this story just from judging the title was that this story would have religious symbolism tied into the theme somehow. So far Jorge's has been consistent by communicating underlying religious issues as well as layered secrets only found in mysterious brain like seams. Jorge's held up his consistency by incorporating a bible salesman for a religious reminder and a labyrinth obstacle. These themes continue to show up throughout the book and are starting to get a little old quite frankly. The stories with new themes are becoming more intriguing due to their fresh underlying objective. This leaves me to question how much of a genius Jorge was. I think that Jorge's was so smart that he purposely implemented new themes in between repeating morals to highlight the spirits of the new stories. If Jorge's intended this, well than my goodness what a smart man. But honestly the next time I throw up will not be from alcohol but from the next Jorge labyrinth religious themed story.

The Other

The Other was so interesting, at first it crept me out because the movie The Others was very creepy. The entire scenario of the story was so interested how Borges went back to visit his younger self. The interesting point in this story is there is no clear conception as to whose perspective we are in. One self of Jorge's thinks that the rendezvous is simply a dream however the other one thinks its a reality. I think there is irony here because the younger self is the one who believes it is a dream. Usually a younger person would think something of this impossibility is a reality and an older person would simply fluff it away with some kind of scientific explanation. This has to do with sophistication. And maybe just maybe Jorge is sending a message that his younger self had the sophistication of a man. I'm sorry if I confused anyone it was kind of hard to express that in words. Overall great story.

Katherine Tesi

I really like Borges’ “The Other”. I thought the entire idea behind the story was interesting, original and intriguing. Once again, I found the story with Borges himself in it more entertaining. I was really impressed by how much he carried his use of parallel worlds throughout the story. Borges shows the parallel of locations (Cambridge and Geneva) and with the exchange of money at the end of the story. He also found a way to work deceit into the story, like a handful of his others, by mentioning how the two versions of him were unable to deceive each other because they knew one another (or themselves) too well. As the story ends Borges reveals his explanation of the encounter. He believes that the physical encounter was real however the young version of Borges spoke to him in a dream. This is the reason why the young Borges could forget the conversation but the old Borges is “tormented by the memory”. As an old man Borges comes to realize that as a young man he dreamed the unattainable date on the dollar bill. I found his explanation really interesting. I definitely had to read the last few paragraphs a few times to understand what he was saying, but once it clicked I found it to be a really remarkable idea.

Kristy Medin

Well, first, why is the title of this section "The Book of Sand?" I would guess something but I really have no idea and would be making false inferences. But to the stories: "The Other" is such a weird story about how Jorge Luis Borges meets another Jorge Luis Borges. At first you think it's him talking to himself, making conversation, bored, schizophrenic, whatever. Next you think that it is Borges at different points of his life. For example, it is Borges at the present and then a "visit" of Borges at the future. Then you keep reading and Borges himself is confused which is kind of comical. It was interesting in the sense that the older Borges knew the current Borges's future. They were talking about how many books Borges will write and that was cool. The he talks about alter egos which made it confusing because you were thinking about 4 different Borge's. It made me think about what I would ask myself if I could ever talk to myself from the future. But, then of course, Borge's "twist" in the end of the short story where can be interpreted that the Borges (younger) was visiting the Borges (older).

Julie Morvitz

I thoroughly enjoyed The Other. It wasn’t confusing to me, and I liked the idea that Borges meets his younger self. I also liked that they were unsure of how they were actually meeting- his younger self thought it was a dream, while his older self thought it was actually happening. Many of Borges’ themes were apparent in the story, and clearly that we didn’t know whether the story was reality or fantasy. One or both of them could be dreaming, or they could be in a fantasy world where these events actually do happen.
I cannot say that I liked The Mirror and the Mask quite as much. Poetry has always confused me to some extent, and this story involved a lot of poetry. I understood the main idea of the story, that the poet came every year to the king and read him a poem, but I wasn’t sure what the gifts the king gave him meant. I also don’t understand why the poet couldn’t read the poem at the end, or why the king gave him a dagger which he killed himself with.

Elisabeth Jeremko

"The Book of Sand" seemed to be a blend of themes and commentary already issued forth in Borges' other stories. For this reason, I found the story repetitive, even annoying. Borges sounded rather arrogant in relation to the Bible salesman, seeming to think himself more worldly and more able to handle such a book. Much symbolism can be drawn from the nature of the characters...the Bible salesman does not have grand curiosity to keep the book. For those who find comfort in their faiths (such as Christianity and the Word of the Bible), complex mysteries and unexplainable energies cannot be ventured towards in curiosity pursuits. The Bible salesman finds much more value in a straightforward Wyclif, whereas Borges insists on tackling the great labyrinth-like nature of the Book of Sand. The idea of Edward Said's "Orientalism" shows up here, again. The Book of Sand seems exotic and full of unearthed secrets, much of because it is foreign. I found similarities in this story to other stories. Like "The Zahir", Borges becomes restless and disturbingly obsessed with the Book. This also reminds me of Johnny Truant and Zampano in "House of Leaves". Like "The Library of Babel", concepts of infinity and secret knowledge needing to be found are brought up. The story did not seem unique to me, in relation to his other stories. Also, with his hyperbolic descriptions of his relation of events, Borges starts to sound like a drama queen. I could believe the immensity of the effects from meeting himself in "The Other" or obsessing over "The Zahir". But now that panicky obsession is just becoming too repetitive for me. "I now feel a little better, but I refuse to even walk down the street the library's on" is what Borges says of his hiding place for the book. Perhaps this melodramatic recruitment on the behalf of Borges helps usher in his themes, but my curious reaction to this state of panicky unsettledness is not as exhilarating or new to me as a reader now.

Elisabeth Jeremko

For this story, I really liked it in the beginning. The irish king asks the poet to come and read each year. After the first year, he is given a mirror of silver. Then next year, a mask. The third year, a dagger. Apparently the poet is Virgil. By the end of the story, the king tells the poet that tehy share the same sin -- of "having known Beauty, which is a gift forbidden mankind" (Borges, 454). Here is where I got lost. The gifts that the king gives seem to represent something, but I do not know what they would represent. As for the third poem, the king says that no marvels even compare with the poem. I do not understand why the poem would defeat the two men. Is it akin to the "Library of Babel" sceneario, where the lesson to be garnered is like the Tower of Babel biblical story -- that man cannot attain godly knowledge and awareness? The king becomes a beggar and never speaks of the poem again. Why is their involvement with the poem sinful? I find understanding the meaning of the story very frustrating.

Elisabeth Jeremko

"The Other" reminded me of "The Zahir" opening, which is also reminiscent of "House of Leaves". Like these two other works, "The Other" presents a narrator who expresses an intense, yet vague sense of horror and deep impact from some type of occurrence. The subject matter in this story was perhaps one of the most interesting. Therefore, I found this story to be one of my favorites. The thought of meeting up with yourself from a different time is bizarre and unsettling. The story also proves to be rather humorous, because the confrontation is so awkward. Alot of captivating thoughts are mentioned that can all relate to Borges' meeting with himself -- deja vu, knowing oneself,an individual's changes throughout time, and the confusion of dreams and reality. It is funny when the one Borges corrects the other and when they both agree to meet again, yet neither will actually do so. The older Borges attempts to say grand, sweeping commentary on the nature of the individual and literature, whereas the younger Borges barely listens. As the older Borges says, though, "The situation was too unnatural to last much longer. There was no point in giving advice, no point in arguing, because the young man's inevitable fate was to be the man that I am now" (Borges, 416). I like how Borges gives an explanation for why it was forgotten by the young Borges -- a dream. Honestly, it is quite difficult to wrap my mind around the whole concept. That is why I think I find the story so challenging (in a good way) and memorable.

Julie Morvitz

I’m not sure what to think of The Zahir. It was confusing at times but it was about a man who bcomes obsessed with a coin and then finds out other people have been obsessed with it as well. In the past it hadn’t only been a coin, it had been other things as well like a tiger, a blind man, and many others. I think that anyone can decide what The Zahir is, because what it’s been in the past are very abstract things. The narrator says that The Zahir is also a form of God because they are both unforgettable and they make people mad. I think this is an interesting comparison, but there are many other things that are unforgettable and make people go crazy, but these things aren’t compared to God.
I enjoyed The House of Asterion. It is about a man who lives in a house (which is similar to a labyrinth) where its’ doors are always open and there is no lock. Although the house would allow him to leave, he feels like a prisoner beause when he walks outside people hide from him and run away because he is “unique”. Every nine years, nine men come into his house to be freed from all evil, and they all die suddenly. There are many questions I have concerning this story. Why do people flee from Asterion when they see him? Why is the number fourteen so important? How do the nine men die and why? Will Asterion’s redeemer ever come?

Carly Cooper

I think this story was better then most of Borges' stories although I can't say i really liked it. I kind of feel like Borges was being lazy like he wanted to write this story but he couldn't think of any poem that the man could say that would be so sinful so he hides it from the reader. Even thought it is a fictional story, I can't help but wonder what the last poem was. However the part of the story I did like was that the king and the poet spoke very poetically and that made the dialog more interesting and beautiful to read. I also like the turn of surprise at the end of the story, there is something interesting about starting a story with success and ending it in failure, since most stories are usually written the other way around.

Carly Cooper

I liked this story a lot more than most of Borges' other stories, even though it was very fictional it was interesting and understandable. I think it is one of those stories that makes you think about the impossible and also makes one inquire about time and the universe, future and past. I often wonder if I would want to meet someone that could tell me how things will go for me, would i want to know what the future holds for me? This story is interesting because here he wasn't given a choice he was just told and we don't know if he believed it or not. I think the story would have been even more interesting if we could hear it not only from Borges in his current older state but also from the young Borges, his reaction to the information and how he was feeling at the time of this encounter would have also been a good thing to write about.

Katherine Tesi

The two short stories that were presented on Thursday April 23rd were Borges’ “The House of Asterion” and “The Zahir”. “The House of Asterion” was a short story about the Greek mythological character, the Minotaur, told from his perspective. The narrator, the Minotaur (half man, half bull), gives a brief history of the Greek myth and begins the story by explaining how he lives within a labyrinth. Throughout the short story Asterion (the Minotaur) speaks of his perception of his life. He views his home as a prison and it upsets him that he never has visitors. He plays games with himself to stay entertained. The only visitors that ever arrive are nine men who visit every nine years so Asterion can deliver them from evil. The story ends with Theseus, the Kind of Athens speaking with his wife Ariadne, and explaining how Asterion hadn’t “scarcely defended himself” when Theseus killed him. Borges’ story displays the Minotaur in a far more sympathetic light and as more of a “hero” than in other stories. On a more technical note, Borges has rewritten Greek Mythology into a Spanish short story which can be considered intertextuality.
In the second story, “The Zahir”, Borges focuses on the idea of obsession and the perception of reality. A zahir is explained to be an object or person that upon seeing it causes complete and total obsession eventually leading to no perception of reality. Borges is the narrator and main character within this story, and is the one affected by the zahir within the story. The zahir takes the form of a Buenos Aires twenty centavo coin and after attending the funeral of a model he had loved, Borges goes to a bar where he is given the coin in his change. That night he dreams of money and the following day Borges goes to a bar to get rid of the coin. He immediately realizes the obsession that begins to overwhelm him and tries to write a fantastical story to distract himself. The focus of his story includes the narrator trying to protect an infinite treasure from human greed. The narrator cuts his own fathers throat in the treasure’s protection. His obsession continues and he sees a psychiatrist which doesn’t help. He begins reading about the zahir to understand its powers better. Borges begins to realize he’s going crazy and loosing sight of reality. The definition of the zahir that is given within the story is that it’s “the shadow of the rose and the rending of the veil”. A rose can be a symbol for the beloved and for God and the definition can be interpreted to mean that once the veil or in this case the zahir, is removed from one’s life, they can see God. This story incorporates not only a few outside literary sources like “1001 Nights” but also a very strong religious influence. Repetition is a constant throughout the text (often found within religious prayer as well) and the idea of loosing sight of oneself to see God is the main idea within the story.

Kristin Todd

This week's readings, "The Other" and "The Mirror and the Mask" were very interesting to read.  I thought that the first story was more enjoyable and easier to follow than the second, but they were both good stories.  "The Other" was a better story, in my opinion, because I liked that Borges was writing in an obscure way about himself.  It was a little difficult to follow all the concepts that Borges wrote about, but I didn't feel that it stopped me from reading the story.  Both of the stories, again, showed Borges's typical writing style in that he starts the story assuming the reading already knows what's going on.  Overall, I liked this week's reading.

Kristin Todd

The chapters 5 - In a Network of Lines that Enlance also follow the same pattern that the whole book has been doing so far.  In this point of the plot of the numbered chapters, the main character decided to go to a publisher.  I found it interesting that he would go but not Ludmilla.  I can understand her point in not wanting to go because it ruins the magic of fiction and books for her, but I also couldn't understand why she wouldn't go and see the process of publishing a book and to possibly hear the secrets that may be revealed.  It's still a little confusing trying to follow the path of the novel, but it's getting easier to do so.

kristin Todd

The second Calvino reading, Ch.3 - Without Fear of Wind or Vertigo, was a continuation of what was going on in the previous reading.  The numbered chapters continued with the main character trying to find out what was going on with the books he was purchasing.  I thought it was interesting when the main character goes to the professor to find out the meaning of the book and where it came from.  It turned out that it was a language of some society that was disappearing.  But there was an argument about whether this writing came from one culture, the Cimmerians, or a different one.  I thought that it was fascinating to think of books as being part of one culture or another and the different views that people of these different culture have about certain works of art.

Kristin Todd

The reading, ch.1 - Outside the Town of Malbork, was a little confusing.  The parts that are labeled with numbers is one story line, while the chapters that have an actual title are a different story line, but they do not connect to each other.  I find that this makes reading the book a little difficult.  I find it interesting that the book is talking about the book while it is being written.  The main character in the numbered parts of the book talks about buying this book and thinks there's something wrong with it.  But, the book turns out to be If on a Winter's Night a Traveler.  That was a little confusing, but it also made the book different than other books that have been written.

Kristy Medina

House of Asterion concentrates on a Greek Mythology story of a minotaur and his life in a labyrinth. Asterion, the minotaur, which is a creature that is half man, half bull is a prisoner of his own house. He lives within his own solidarity. At first, the short story talks about the house and how no one visits him even though the labyrinth has no door, no furnitures, etc. The readter actually gets to sympothsize with Asterion. He even makes up games to play with himself, one being where he makes up another Asterion. There is a twist however, to the end, the reader gets to know that every 9 years, 9 men come to the house so that Asterion can set them free. The very end the dialoge between Theseus and his wife where it kind of flashes foward. It basically says that Theseus killed the Minotaur. In the end, the Minotaur got what he wanted because he was killed since he wanted a reedemer and Theseus was that. This of course is an interesting short story because Greek mythology is written in the perspectives of kings and honorable men while Borges takes a point of view that is completly different and that of the evil creature sided against the king.

Victoria Gornopolskaya

“The Zahir” is about Borges himself and his obsession with a gold coin called the Zahir. He goes into great detail in telling us the origins of the Zahir and how it could also refer to other things such as god or a tiger. He also mentions his lovesickness for a woman named Teodelina Villar, a model. It seems as though his obsession stems from the fact that he spent the Zahir at a bar when he saw Teodelina Villar having a drink. This story is simply the ramifications of a man who has been heartbroken and chooses to express his grief by channeling it through an entirely different extreme. Borges was so overcome with grief over Teodelina Villar’s suicide that he held on to the closest part of her that he had known, which was the Zahir coin. I believe this story was written to show the toils of dealing with an unhealthy obsession and how heavily it can impact your life.

“The House of Asterion” is a first person account of a princess who isolates herself in a very large house. She is not a prisoner, as she isn’t locked up or forced to stay in one place. She simply chooses this way of life because she fears the commoners and the way they treat her. It isn’t clear whether her house is really infinite, or if that word was simply placed over the number fourteen. It seems she lives a very lonely life; no companionship, no ability to read, and no overall contact with the outside world. There is the exception of a ceremony that occurs every nine years, but other than that her life is desolate. All she has is her house, in which she wanders through its limitless pools, galleries and all sorts of other treasures. Though she does possess all these riches she is still empty inside, just like her infinite palace.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Zahir,” “The House of Asterion”

This first story describes the irrationalities of obsession. Borges was in love with a woman named Teodelina Villar. This woman was very calculated in her mannerisms, and always maintained herself as a classy and beautiful figure. The story gives the impression that she took her own life, as a result of finding herself inadequate. The story then shifts its focus to the Zahir, which is a coin among its many other meanings. Though I don’t see the connection between Teodelina Villar and the Zahir, I think it could be the coin itself that played a part in her untimely death. Borges inserts himself into the story as a man who is plagued by his obsession. I feel very bad for people who cannot grasp control over such extreme emotions. I assume the man Borges portrays in the story commits suicide as well because the coin held such a high power over him.

“The House of Asterion” is the story of a spoiled princess who chooses to isolate herself from society. She is simply a desperate soul who retreats to an immeasurable house for protection against the common folk. She doesn’t even have the patience to learn to read so that she herself could understand what poor people really have to go through. She spends her days doing nothing but frolicking in her mansion while the rest of society is hard at work for her. This princess is in dire need of a rude awakening because she is overly sheltered. My hope is that she is either overthrown or made to live as a commoner, because her attitude is just beyond reality.

Katherine Tesi

I enjoyed Borges’ “The Zahir” the most of all of his stories thus far. Initially, I found the fact that Borges made himself the narrator and main character more intriguing as compared to the other stories. In the past stories, the history piece that introduces each piece I’ve found to be boring and confusing. However, in the beginning of “The Zahir” Borges explains the history of the zahir and the idea behind it, attracting the reader further. The idea of the story, that a single item or thing can cause complete obsession, prohibiting a person to view and interpret reality, was so interesting in itself.
The second story, “The House of Asterion” I found appealing as well. Although short, Borges once again brings in the idea of the labyrinth when he refers to the infinite doors. I also noted that Borges illudes to religious themes once again when Asterion speaks of himself as having god like characteristics and when the “great redeemer” is mentioned. The story ends with mention of the Minotaur being killed, and I couldn’t help but remember House of Leaves. However, it was unclear to me whether or not Asterion was the Minotaur or not.

Elisabeth Jeremko

I cannot decide if I like or dislike “The House of Asterion”. It contains a unique perspective and bizarre elements, like the lockless, infinite doors. Asterion is fascinating as a character and the emphasis on the House throws off the reader from ever guessing Asterion would be a minotaur. One question that lingers in my mind is, what is the significance of “14”? It is not a number that I have seen pop up as symbolic. So I wonder why Borges picked fourteen to represent infinity and keep showing up in the story? Asterion says that he may have created the house, but does not remember it. What would propel him to think this (merely his ignorance…or his rich imagination?). The ideas that get presented in the story are interesting, but they leave me questioning more than feeling like I have the answers. The story is so short that so much is left ambiguous and unfulfilling in terms of explanation. I also want to know who the redeemer is supposed to be? If Asterion is the minotaur, who would be the redeemer? I found the very ending so sad…that the minotaur “hardly defended itself” (Borges, 222). Somehow, even though not understanding much, I still was emotionally invested in Asterion and felt bad for his imprisonment of solitude and then how the story ends. Has Asterion been redeemed by the end, through this act?

Elisabeth Jeremko

Right at the onset of reading “The Zahir”, Borges hooked me in with his proclamation that “I am not the man I was then, but I am still able to recall…” (Borges, 242). I was highly curious to see what the Zahir would mean and what had happened to Borges in the story. After this, I loved the description of Teodelina Villar. Borges did such a concise, yet descriptive job of fully giving me an idea of what type of woman she was. I tend to think of myself as a perfectionist, so the description of her discipline being greater than that of Talmudists or Confucians was humorous. Borges says the reader might have expected that he was in love with her—I did not guess this, actually! As I read more and more Borges, I see how abruptly and sometimes out of order he presents details. While once annoying, I find his approach to relaying the story in “The Zahir” refreshing. Perhaps I am just more accustomed to Borges or maybe its this particular story. I am not quite sure. I started to lose Borges when he described money as “future time” (244). I found the story humorous again when Borges said that his whole description of the fantasy story was to get the coin off his mind. It is as if the reader is along for the ride, so to speak, of what goes on in Borges’ mind. The concept of the Zahir, as being any object able to induce nonstop thoughts revolving around it is really unique and interesting. His idea seems to become fully developed when referencing Tennyson’s idea of understanding a single flower being able to understand everything else. He then references the Kabbalist idea “that man is a microcosm, a symbolic mirror of the universe” (248). The story finishes up saying that he relentlessly focuses on the Zahir, where behind may be God. One thing I am confused about is how Julia’s presence in Borges’ life fits in with the Zahir. Is it one obsession to another? I cannot really find a connection.

Janie Cherestal

I thought that the story “The Lottery in Babylon” was a little strange in that the lottery that is meant to reward people was turned into a system that can lead to one’s death, yet the characters of the narrative continued to participate in it to avoid being called a coward. I have never been in such a situation, but I imagine that in the face of being called a coward or possibly being killed, I would pick being called a coward. In the story, the risk that one put in playing the lottery were meant to reflect the chances of everyday life, and how one day we may find luck, and on the next disaster- an idea that I felt was pretty interesting.

Janie Cherestal

I actually found “The House of Asterion” to be one of the more enjoyable short stories of Borges’ collection. Not only was it delightfully short, it had a clear storyline about a man named Asterion who is of royalty and lives alone in an infinite house. It also appears that he has a few marbles loose, for he has hilarious conversations with himself, runs like a charging ram, and pretends that he is being hunted. Asterion describes how once a year he executes nine men, and one year one of the men stated that Asterion will meet his redeemer, which he is very excited to hear. I felt a little confused as to why Asterion was executing men and who exactly he was in the community. Was Asterion the Minotaur that was mentioned at the end of the story?

Carly Cooper

This story begins, as many of other Borge's stories with a character that is unknown and an explanation that is unknown. The reader doesn't know why this character is living in a home with an infinite amount of doors or why he never leaves or why people flee from him in the streets when he does. Until the very end the I did not realize that this story was about Minotaur a greek mythological charachter and I am always confused as to why Borges makes the reader wait so long to enderstand the story. It is a good story, however, and it held my attention because I had so many questions i knew would be answered at the end and it was short enough that i was able to wait until the end to find out.

Elisabeth Jeremko

I was really curious to see what Borges would say about the detective genre. When I went to school at University at Buffalo, I took a course devoted to the genre of mysteries. I entered in the class skeptical of how insightful the class would be, or how talented the writers would be. Similar to what Borges said, Edgar Allan Poe was attributed in this class to being the pioneer of the genre. Borges spent a lot of time describing Poe’s personal life and relating this to his choice of romantic poetry and detective stories. To say that Dupin is mirrored after Poe himself was something new to me as an idea that has never been presented before. Another interesting point from Borges was that Poe’s plots may seem transparent to readers familiar with other forms of detective fiction, but to the first readers, they were “wonderstruck” (Borges, 497). Borges says that the “intellectual origins” (499) have been lost. He says that he wrote “Death and the Compass” but I feel that this story is almost a critique (because of the ending) how Poe or Doyle would end a story. The way Borges ends the essay is I think his most powerful commentary throughout the essay. He says that the detective genre “is safeguarding order in an era of disorder” (499). With this being said, it is not so unusual that Borges would find interest in the genre, and why he may add his own spin to it.

Carly Cooper

I did not like the story about the Zahir, it might be because i didn't fully understand the story but I didn't see the connection between the death of the women he loved and this mysterious coin. I thought it was interesting how he could not get the coin out of his head and neither could anyone else who saw the coin. This part of the story reminded me of House of Leaves and the theme of obsession. However i also struggled with understanding the connection between this man and the other people who's stories were reported about the coin such as the man who painted his jail cell or the sister of the women who died. What is this coin? I didnt feel like the mystory of the coin was solved or if it was I didnt understnad it.

Elisabeth Jeremko

After reading Borges’ non-fiction essay “The Labyrinths of the Detective Story and Chesterton”, I was actually surprised at how “Death and the Compass” turned out. I thought it would be the classic detective story, such as those with Dupin or Sherlock Holmes, but in the end, Lonnrot was killed! That was quite the plot twist. I was stunned at the first reading. Going back through the story, however, I see that Lonnrot was not exalted to the invincibility of the classic detectives. Within the first paragraph, it is mentioned that Lonnrot was a reasoning machine, BUT also a gambler. The idea of a gamble is not something that would be used to describe the classic detectives – instead with these guys, the power of reason and logic by the detectives always prevails. As far as the events of the story went, these followed the logical order and use of details that would normally follow the scheme (outlined in the non-fiction essay). But the ending really diverges from the normal scheme. That’s why I was rather surprised…I had expected Borges to completely follow the detective story as described in his labyrinth essay. The fact that Scharlach uses the word “labyrinth” in his triumph over Lonnrot makes me feel that Borges is maybe poking fun at the ever-present reliance and trust in order and logic. Maybe not everything can be solved or taken care of through the pure reliance on order and logic? Lonnrot’s job (and ultimately) his life depend on the success of logical deductions. When he dies, it raises the question, is everything just a gamble? Can order really prevail, or prove to be meaningful?

Elisabeth Jeremko

In the Library of Babel, I found that the story had many inspirations or ideas adopted into the story. These included Borges’ non-fiction essay, “The Total Library”, the ideas of Lasswitz and other mathematicians, and “The Tower of Babel” story in Genesis 11 of the Old Testament. Much can be said about the story’s meaning just through the mere title, since it referencing the biblical story that has a moral admonishing the superiority and over-loftiness of humans to think they can know all. Like the biblical Babel attempting to reach the Heavens, the vast Library and its hexagonal set-up allows concepts of infinity, available knowledge, order versus chaos, and man versus God to all be addressed and explored. In the story, the “imperfect librarians” all come up with theories on how the books should be read or why they are difficult to comprehend and compile. Some took actions against this vastness, trying to employ human control over that which is boundless. A god would be the “Book-Man” where one book would explain everything. I think these theories and actions can be related to religious doctrine or philosophical/scientific explanations made by humans in real life. It is not possible for humans to comprehend or realize perfect order and balance within everything. Thus, the librarians’ theories do not really mean much, when the reader is presented with just how vast and ever-reaching the library really is. I am still confused about what the books represent, exactly. Also I wonder if Borges’ real life views show up through the narrator. A very intriguing but small detail was the mention of the mirror that makes the Library seem not infinite. I wonder why a mirror would do this, according to Borges?

Kristin Todd

The first story, "The Zahir" seems to be about this coin that Borges himself finds.  The coin seems to be very distressing to Borges, but I didn't understand why that would be.  I thought it was very interesting that at the beginning Borges was describing the Zahir to be all these different items in different times of history in all different places.  I have concluded that the idea of whatever was engraved into that item in the certain points of time were very important to the people of that time period.  The other story, "The House of Asterion" I also thought was interesting.  It was short, so it was able to keep my attention better than any of the other stories.  The fact that Asterion was "locked" in his house, but could get out was very interesting.  I thought that it was weird that he didn't want to leave his house.  He would rather had others come to him.  There must be some reason why he doesn't leave, maybe it has to do with his mother being a queen, or it could just be some psychological problem within himself.

Elisabeth Jeremko

For Borges’ story, “The Lottery in Babylon”, I was immediately enthralled within the first paragraph. Borges jam-packs emotions, philosophies, poetry, mathematics, and belief-systems all into one paragraph. Some sense of hierarchy or difference between this narrator to others. I love how Borges uses such images as being invisible and the moon in conjunction with the idea of knowing uncertainty. Furthermore, I think its neat that Borges then goes on to attribute this uncertainty and all other qualities mentioned in the first paragraph to the Lottery. By organizing the story in such a way, the Lottery is pronounced to be of great significance, without the reader even realizing how it operates or what exactly it is. This is an example of how Borges can add complexity to a short story. I really like how Borges presents the discourse of chance and the possibility of a God-driven series of incidents through the whole organization of the Company and the Lottery. I am still confused as to what the Company itself represents and if it is painted as completely positive or negative. “That silent functioning, like God’s, inspires all manner of conjectures” ( Borges, 106) makes the Company seem neither good nor bad. Does Borges not really even make a judgment here in this story? Or is the Company criticized? This I am still not really sure.

Kristin Todd

The first story, "Death and the Compass", was very interesting.  I enjoyed the plot of the story and how it was actually easier to understand.  The story, like all of Borges's other stories, started off assuming you already knew what was going on.  Though it's still a little confusing to understand, I am getting used to his writing style.  The second reading, "The Detective Story" was a non-fiction, opposed to the previous story.  It discussed the rules of writing a fiction and how the story should be written.  I didn't really understand the rules for the stories too much.  I understood that they were written for authors to follow them and make reading their works easier, but other than that, I wasn't sure.  At the end, it gives the example of the book The Scandal of Father Brown and discusses how this book follows the rules mentioned.

Carly Cooper

I understand and agree with all the "rules" that Borges puts down in this essay. I'm not impressed because it seems that since all detective movies and stories are like this it is clear that everyone already knows these rules, however it is nice to have them here and organized with examples. Again i find it slightly difficult to read Borges essays about short stories or novels when I have never read any of them, even if he does do a good job of explaining them. There is a certain helpfulness to Borges essays that are written like this because they help to organize and understand general writing rules such as these.

Elisabeth Jeremko

I enjoyed “The Approach to Al-Mu’Tasim” from start to finish, but what I thought really enriched the story was the nod to Attar in the footnote at the end of the story. It is quite amazing how Borges could whiz through such a seemingly complex story and long journey for the main character, still managing to make a coherent and rather descriptive piece. Borges mentions much detail, such as rungs being missing on an iron ladder, but does not detail the trials and tribulations all along the way. The reader receives a small glimpse or almost summary of this hugely significant series of events for the law student. I wonder what the significance of the student being a law student would be. If he is a law student, one would think him to adhere to universal moral codes, understand the nature of criminals, and not want to find the woman of the caste of thieves. So, the student being a law student, is an interesting pick that Borges made. I loved the footnote about the “conference of the birds” because when I researched the work written long ago on the internet, I found the story really beautiful. So for Borges to use that as an inspiration and understanding how its message could tie to the story –that is, God being diffuse or as a total entity, not set apart from the universe, nature, or humanity -- I found the story to be much more telling and moving.

Michael Lampasona

In this story, the Asterion begins by describing how he is a social outcast. He talks about how he remains in his house throughout the day and night, and his descriptions make him seem insane. He also talks about how he would like to mix with the commoners, but every time he goes outside everyone runs from him. The Asterion describes how he explores his house, and that there are an infinite amount of parts to his house. He goes on to state that his house is the world. At the end of the story, he says that nine men come to the house every nine years, and he slays them. At the end of the story, we learn that the Asterion is the minotaur.

I found this story very interesting. It showed a human side to the minotaur, and showed that he was not a ruthless beast. This is similar to how the minotaur was humanized in House of Leaves, and helps the reader gain a new perspective on this character.

Michael Lampasona

In this story, Jorge Luis Borges is the main character. He goes to a bar and when he recieves his change, he recieves a coin as change. This coin is apparently a Zahir, which soon becomes the object of his obsession. Borges spends some time talking about money, and he describes how money is the least material thing there is - and it is just "future time." Eventually Borges realizes that he has become obsessed with the Zahir, and gets rid of it. He goes on to describe how the Zahir can take form of many objects, and it causes the owner to become obsessed. He ends the story by speaking of how he is content with his fate, even if he is to become crazy.

I thought this story was intriguing. I think the idea of obsession can be applied to many different aspects of life. It is easy for us to get obsessed with things, even if it is not to the extent of Borges' experience. These obsessions can detract from our everyday lives, and we have to be careful.

I’m not sure what to think of The Zahir. It was confusing at times but it was about a man who bcomes obsessed with a coin and then finds out other people have been obsessed with it as well. In the past it hadn’t only been a coin, it had been other things as well like a tiger, a blind man, and many others. I think that anyone can decide what The Zahir is, because what it’s been in the past are very abstract things. The narrator says that The Zahir is also a form of God because they are both unforgettable and they make people mad. I think this is an interesting comparison, but there are many other things that are unforgettable and make people go crazy, but these things aren’t compared to God.
I enjoyed The House of Asterion. It is about a man who lives in a house (which is similar to a labyrinth) where its’ doors are always open and there is no lock. Although the house would allow him to leave, he feels like a prisoner beause when he walks outside people hide from him and run away because he is “unique”. Every nine years, nine men come into his house to be freed from all evil, and they all die suddenly. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I have concerning the story. Why do people flee from Asterion when they see him? Why is the number fourteen so important? How do the nine men die and why? Will Asterion’s redeemer ever come?

Robert Stevens

Today in class we had two presentations. The first was by Natalya and Victoria Gornopolskaya and it focused on the short story “The Garden of Forking Paths” by Jorge Luis Borges. This story was about a German spy in England (during WWI?) named Yu Tsun. He was not really a truly committed and dedicated spy for Germany, he was just using his occupation as a means to prove himself. All throughout his mission he is pursued by a British officer named Captain Madden. A story is mentioned that was written by his ancestors that was called the “Garden of Forking Paths” so basically the story turned out to be a story within a story. A labyrinth is also hinted at, and Borges eventually makes it clear that the labyrinth in this story is time, and that it consumes everyone, including Tsun, who is captured at the conclusion of the story and sentenced to death. Natalya and Victoria even managed to made it interesting by including alternate endings to the story, and incorporating the class into each reality.

Next came my presentation. How did that happen, right? Get the summary assignment the same day I’m supposed to present. Anyway, I did my presentation on “Death and the Compass” another short story by Borges. This story was about a detective named Erik Lonnrot. It took place in an unnamed city that carries a distinct mix of French and Spanish influence. The outline of the plot is that three crimes take places that appear to follow both a religious and geographic set of patterns. Lonnrot eventually concludes that a fourth crime will take place at a certain location in the city. He then proceeds to the site to catch the criminals only to find out that he has been set up by a local gangster who had sworn an oath to kill him. Everything was done with the sole purpose to lure Lonnrot to the site so he could be shot dead for sending the gangster’s brother to prison and shooting him in the stomach.

The remainder of the class was spent discussing the next and final paper. Diviani was gracious and expanded the realm that the paper could cover. Instead of a simple research paper we can now write a short story that emphasizes the spirit of Borges, or an alternate conclusion or plot twist in one of his existing stories. We could also write a fresh short story of our own. After the discussion we only had about 5 minutes in our broken up groups to brainstorm about what we would write about. While the time was short, I think most got the general idea about what they will write.

tung

The Lottery in Babylon was another interesting story I thought as well. The idea of gaming and losing and winning gives me a sense of danger and risk. But in this case the winner wins it all and the loser if left with dealing with something that was beyond. They had to deal with their own nightmares. That I thought was very dark. The idea of theology pops into this story as well it seem as if they play on the leaving everything up to chances and in the powers of something great then themselves.

tung

I think this is one of the stories that I really enjoyed out of all of Borges short stories. I love that idea that there are so many paths that we call can take in our lives and each of those path could drastically change the outcome of what and who we are in the end. The story leaves me thinking the idea of “what if” what if I never or if I did this or that in a curtain part of my life. All of out at one point or another has thought of this question. And the character in the story showed this idea so well I thought. The idea of the labyrinth also draws me to this story. The story was able to hold my attention in that I wanted to see what would have happen if he would have gotten in this or that situation. Over all I enjoyed this reading.

Michael Lampasona

This story was compelling, and I enjoyed it a bit more than some of Jorge Luis Borges' other works. The story is about a detective, Lonnrot, who is set on discovering the murderer who has killed in a pattern. The murdered killed on December 3rd, January 3rd, and February 3rd. The murders took place at equal distances from one another - in an equilateral triangle. This gives Lonnrot the idea that he can predict where the final murder will take place. The killer, Scharlach, knows that Lonnrot would travel there, and kills him (this is the fourth murder.) This is how the story ends.

I thought this story was entertaining, and was one of the better short stories by Borges that I have read. It was ironic how the detective who thought he had everything figured out was outsmarted quite easily.

Janie Cherestal

“Death and the Compass” talked about a man named Lonnrot who becomes fascinated with the written works of a recently murdered rabbi and uses his works to find the final name of God. In order to do so, he follows a trail of murders, where the killer continuously leaves clues for the investigator. At the end, Lonnrot discovers that this was all a trick, and that the killer, Scharlach, was using the clues to get revenge and lure Lonnrot to his death. I actually like this short story, because I enjoyed the mystery/crime plot. I also enjoyed the fact that, unlike most of Borges’ pieces, this piece had a clear storyline with different characters and dialogue.

Katherine Tesi

I found Borges’ “Death and the Compass” to be the most enjoyable story yet. I’ve started to realize more of the elements that are included within his stories and in return I find them more entertaining. I noticed his initial use of color in the story, often referring to red towards the beginning passages. I also found the use of numbers quite interesting, especially his use of the number three. His choice of three was unclear at first and then when the presence of religion became stronger within the story; I began to think that three might be a continual reference to the Holy Trinity. Borges also refers to the numbers two and four; however their meanings weren’t as clear to me. Similarly on a mathematical note, Borges refers to geometry and symmetry within the text, which alluded to a sense or need for balance (symmetry). As I mentioned before religion had a presence in the text. Originally, there was a sense of religion being a driving force behind the killer’s actions, but eventually we find out that religion was coincidentally tied in and the killer could be considered to be anti-religion. Finally, we once again find the use of both the labyrinth (the “infinite house) and mirrors within this story. Although the final lines about the “straight line labyrinth” confused me, it did seem like an interesting idea.

Janie Cherestal

While reading Borges short stories, I often feel confused and left wondering, “What is the point of this?” I definitely felt that way again while reading “The Zahir.” What I got from the story was that the narrator becomes obsessed with a coin, which he calls a zahir, and he finds out that he is not the only person to become mad over an object. He talks about an artist who becomes fascinated with tigers, and a woman named Julia who becomes crazy over a coin, as well. At the end of the story, the narrator speculates whether or not the coin is really God, which I did not understand, either. Why would the coin be God? And who exactly was Teodelina Villar and what was her role in the story?

Robert Stevens

This story made little or no sense to me. I’m not even sure if I’m interpreting it correctly. It seemed to revolve around a man who was telling several stories about himself and others at the same time, but they all seemed to revolve around this mysterious coin, the “Zahir.” The Zahir he speaks of is nothing more than a 20-centavo (Argentinian?) coin with the letters N T, and the number 2 scratched in it. He then goes on to say that the “Zahir” has taken many forms throughout history.
After “losing” the Zahir, he proceeds to become obsessed with the coin, and the fact that he had held it. He also starts to contemplate and research the other Zahirs that have tormented other men. Eventually he comes to believe that the Zahir is God, or at least a manifestation of Him. Thoughts about the Zahir were joined by others such as his love for Teodelina Villar, an aspiring fashion mogul who has died on “June 6” at some point after WWII. At some point I started to believe that he had become so obsessed that he had stolen her body and made it up so she would appear as she had when she was younger. He also made reference that it was Borges himself in the story (as the main character).
Who is Wally Zenner? Is the dedication for this story from Borges or the translator?

Kristy Medina

Death and the Compass was similar to The Approach to Al-Mu'Tasim in that the main plot is of a crime scene/ death. Auguste Dupin is an adventurer/ gambler and we've never really seen a character like him before. The short story is filled with action. There are four murders each occuring on the fourth of each month. The killer leaves clues all pointing to the motives of the crimes being religion. Before even reading I was interested in what a compass would have to do with the murders and then I though of Edgar Allen Poe and I always associated his death/ horror poems with a detective and a compass with an old watch- just as an image. I thought it was cool how it broke into 'letters' and it is left by the 'name.'

The Detective Story was more of an introduction of sorts to the detective genre and Edgar Allen Poe (which happens to be a writer Borges is compared with maybe because of similar styles.) Borges focuses on the story "the Raven" but creates a contradiction within this short story. He admires Poe but doesn't admire Poe's works overall. Its very strange.

Death and the Compass

Here we go something with some thrill to it. This short story was a detective mystery filled with thrills, chills and murder. The title of the story is a little deceiving because the story doesn't quite mention a compass but it does have death. But after taking a step back and reading the story again there is a circular symmetry between the crimes which would hypothetically be the compass.
This story reminded me a lot about this mystery movie with Denzel Washington, I believe it was called the Bone Collector. Maybe we should watch it in class its wonder full. Anyway Denzel is a detective who gets paralyzed on a scene and is forever layed to bed. He is one of the stop detectives in the world and has done the best detective work in the world. Anyway it turned out that a cereal killer is leading Denzel to his death by planting clues in mysteries. Denzel cant figure out who is the killer trying to finally kill until the last murder. This clue leads him to the conclusion that the final murder will be him.
This was a great story and I am surprised by this one. I wouldn't expect this from Borges and I look forward to seeing more thrilling stories like this one.

Victoria Gornopolskaya

After reading “Death and the Compass,” by Gorge Luis Borges, I realized I finally understood the meaning of the title as soon as I got to the end. This story involves a series of organized crimes designated in the shape of an equilateral triangle, which are actually meant to shape the form of a rhombus. The character Erik Lonnrot met his end at the endpoint of that rhombus, and since a rhombus is the traditional shape of a compass, the title of this story is logical, which is typical of Borges. This story was similar to “The Garden of Forking Paths”, in that it was twisted, sinister and shocking to read. I enjoyed this story very much, especially the last part. The villain goes into this monologue revealing his intentions, while leading up to the climactic moment that we all anticipated.
I appreciate the way Borges is able to capture this lingering feeling of fear and suspense within the story.

“The Detective Story” lecture seemed to be a tribute that Borges wrote to Edgar Allen Poe, the founder of the detective genre. In this speech Borges compares the detective story elements used by Poe to the nuances used by more recent authors. Despite the fact that Poe was the first to pioneer this brand of genre, Borges feels that his stories are somewhat lacking in terms of creativity and logic. He uses an intellectual figure named Charles Auguste Dupin, who solves crimes simply by using the cleverness of his mind.
Borges feels that even though Edgar Allen Poe created this genre, there exist many books by authors who surpass Poe’s version of the detective story. The plot which he described at with the mailman as the killer seemed very simplistic and uneventful from what I read. Borges acknowledges his own attempts at writing a detective story and closes his argument with an optimistic view towards the detective genre.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“Death and the Compass,” “The Detective Story”

This story was very action packed and thrilling. “Death and the Compass” to me was very reminiscent of the book”Angels and Demons”, in which one crime leads subsequently to another and forms a shapely pattern. In this story the pattern that was thought to be an equilateral triangle was actually a rhombus, and Erik Lonnrot was able to successfully piece together the puzzle. It turns out that the series of crimes were a trap designed to catch Lonnrot’s attention which they did, leading him to his ultimate demise. The scene just before Lonnrot gets shot, is electrifying, like something out of a movie. The bad guy Red Scharlach turns out to be the actual Ginsburg-Ginzburg and reveals every detail of his carefully executed plan just before taking the final step and firing his weapon. This story was fulfilled me in the way an action movie could. This shows me that Borges’s style of fiction is very flexible and entertaining.

“The Detective Story” lecture by Jorge Luis Borges was an in depth discussion on the origins and forthcomings of the detective genre. Borges describes the way Edgar Allen Poe created his poem “The Raven”. It seems as though he is undermining the works of Edgar Allen Poe altogether, even though he considers him the one who invented this style of writing. Borges even states that Poe’s body of work as whole was genius while most of his stories were flawed. What he really means is that Poe’s type of detective literature hasn’t stood the test of time. It is no longer thrilling and isn’t quite the achievement it used to be. Borges goes on to praise several authors who have written dynamic detective stories that he considers the best. Borges does however pay homage to Poe in respect to his position in starting it all. He then states that the “calm” origins of the detective genre have been forgotten everywhere but England. Nowadays people tend to lean toward the more thrilling and action packed detective stories, which really shows how greatly our times have changed.

Julie Morvitz

I actually really liked Death and the Compass. I read it more slowly than I usually read these stories, and I think this helped me understand it from the beginning. Although it did start in the middle of a story, I picked up what was going on quickly and the mystery made me want to read on. When Lonnrot was walking through the grounds towards what he thought was the end to the killings, I had a feeling it was a setup. Lonnrot had thought he solved the mystery, but Scharlach really just led him right to him. I think the reason that Scharlach had for tracking Lonnrot down in the first place wasn’t a good enough reason- Lonnrot had put his brother in jail. I think there should have been a stronger reason; if there was an actual murder that Lonnrot had committed, Scharlach would have been more justified in his actions.
Of course there was a labyrinth involved in the story; the pattern of the killings was considered a labyrinth, but so was the setup of the villa grounds. It seemed like it was growing, but it was different from other labyrinths in that Lonnrot knew the sides were symmetrical, so the grounds were somewhat predictable.

Carly Cooper

I really liked this story, I especially like that it is a mystery. The beginning was interesting because I was interested to see how this detective had solved this mysterious crime or thought he had solved it. one of the things I liked most was how the ending was a surprise, it always seems like the villain of these kinds of stories is much smarter than the people he is up against. I liked that religion was incorporated into the story, I think it made it more interesting. While I don't really understand who was against who and why, it was interesting that Scharlach used his own plot to distract his enemy from furthering their discoveries about his next plot. Also to be quite honest I liked this story because i was genuinely scared and really wanted to know what would happen next.

Emily Skahill

another reason why i hate Borges' writing so much. he explains too much, for example, in Death and the  Compass where he discusses Hotel du Nord, explains what it is, then he talks about how a man from a congress arrived there and discusses everything about this man then discusses everything the man does. who cares? all Borges needed to do was say, "on december a many named Dr. Msrcelo Yarmolinsky from the third talmudic congress of podolsk arrived at the hotel du nord". it would be so much easier to understand! i don't need to know what color his eyes are. it's too much information! i really think most of Borges' writings could be condensed to 3 pages or less. 

Emily Skahill

The Garden of Forking Paths, i read the first page and i couldn't even focus. it's not because i don't sleep enough or drink too much caffeine like some of the comments on my other entires suggested was the problem. it's because there is nothing about this work i enjoy. i don't even have an opinion about the stories, which is why my entries on here are so short or boring. it's just, what opinion could i have about a story that can't hold my attention for more than a page, and the thought of reading it over makes me want to stab myself in the eye. the labyrinth in this story made me think of House of Leaves, but this labyrinth was much less interesting. this so called labyrinth isn't a real labyrinth at all. it's the possibility that everything will happen, and everything that can happen does happen.

Emily Skahill

Menard, the author of Quixote, another boring story from Borges. i really find it difficult to stay awake when i read these stories. this was especially lame because instead of a whole story there was an outline discussing what was different about the two works. Menard focused on not copying the older version of the story. that makes sense but really? who cares? I really can't stand having to read Borges. i don't know what it is about the writing exactly. it's probably because he automatically assumes we know everything. we don't, i think Borges is a bad writer because of this. you can't assume the reader knows everything you do. it's rediculous.

Emily Skahill

We had a presentation about The Lottery in Babylon. This story was about a society in Babylon where the lottery was used for rewards than later it became used for punishments. 1 out of 30 who played the lottery will receive an lucky rewards those who didn’t participate would be made fun of. “The company” governed the lottery. The winners would decide to make the lottery more difficult and add more losers. “the company” over time came to run Babylon due to the amount of people who use the lottery. It later became so secretive that people did not know whether or not people won rewards or punishments. The presenter gave out a dollar to every question answered correctly today, each winner took part in the lottery and picked a number and the winner kept all the dollars. One person kept all the dollars, therefore showing the ratio of winner to losers.

            When Borges wrote Babylon, the world was not in a good place, 1941.  Borges is fond of probability, it is a recurring theme in his stories. Leibniz, concept of gold, he was a watchmaker. He decided this was the best of both worlds. Everything will eventually be good because god is good. Borges places the blame on the citizens of Babylon. Looking at 1941, the Spanish civil war was a war against their own people as well as what was going on in Germany.

            Discussion of Pierre Menard, author of the Quixote. A fictional author trying to be faithful of The Quixote. Borges in all his works assumes that the reader already understands everything being written. The first paragraph criticizes Menard. Borges blurs the genres of short story and criticism. Menard is seized by the desire to not copy Cervantes. Borges once again was discussing something fictional because Menard was fictional. Literary history is very shaky, no one can know for sure what really happens because what is written is not always the truth.

            We then discussed the Garden of Forking Paths. In House of Leaves there was a note that said “the labyrinth is the book”. It  comes from this work. The story questioned where the labyrinth was from.  What the book looked like was the labyrinth rather than the plot level replicating a labyrinth in House of Leaves. The story holds the idea of parallel time, time travel. The idea that the paths you take will define your future. The garden of forking paths, in the end, is actually the book. The book tries to determine how everything will turn out.

Katherine Tesi

In Borges’ The Lottery in Babylon, the idea of chance overwhelms the entire text. Within the story the entire population of Babylon is consumed with the lottery which is set up initially with only prizes in mind. Over time, the lottery comes to include both prize and consequence for all of the people involved. The Company which comes to run the lottery is an all powerful and knowing body completely unattached to the people. Overall this story seemed to have portrayed the idea that blindly following authority is taking a chance in itself, and over time the chances of the outcome being positive lessen.
In The Garden of Forking Paths, displays both the themes of deceit and of the recurring labyrinth. Tsun realizes that like his ancestor had hinted at, the “labyrinth in which all men would lose their way” was actually the novel itself in its unfinished state. Borges has the novel within the story use time as the means for his labyrinth, making the labyrinth never ending and never solvable. I found it interesting that Borges related Tsun to the author of the unfinished novel; however chances are I’m missing a point of some kind.

Kristin Todd

This week's reading, "The Garden of Forking Paths", was more interesting than the other stories.   This story was a lot easier to read and it didn't require as much thinking as previous stories have needed.  The fact the Capt. Richard Madden was able to get to the garden about the same time as the main character I found very interesting.  The labyrinth that the story was referring to, the garden of forking paths, was a book that Yu Tsun's ancestor had written for future relatives to figure out.  

Kristy Medina

Jorge Luis Borges' Gardening of Forking Paths is probably one of my favorite Borges' short stories next to Et Cetera. It yet again talks about the break down of a labyrinth but this story actually talks about the labyrinth and the different ways one can think of a labyrinth. This is probably why I liked it so much because instead of thinkning about how these characters see the labyrinth, like in House of Leaves the reader is told more or less how the labyrinth looks like. In the previous story, the Library of Babel, we were given some detail on what the laybrinth looks like. Here, in Garden of Forking Paths, the different possibilities are actually discussed. Ts'ui Pen says that the Garden is an incomplete imagine of the universe. Albert thinks the Garden is a "huge riddle." Nevertheless, the conclusion is that it is a complex, infinite set. It was still interesting to hear about different interpertations instead of just an infinite staircase filled with blackness. I'm ambivalent to the ending- I usually like clear endings where I know what happens but I also like the idea of having the reader think about what happens in the story because it's more interactive. Still, one of my favorites. I really like Borges (for the most part).

Julie Morvitz

I liked The Garden of Forking Paths. It was a little difficult at the beginning, but after the first couple of pages I started to get into the story. The whole idea of the book being a labyrinth reminded me of a type of book I used to read when I was younger. This type was where there are many endings, and the reader picks the path the characters continue on. The readers can then go back and read the other endings to the stories after they finish each one. These books are just like the labyrinth talked about in the story- there are endless possibilities of what can happen in Ts’ui Pen’s novel, and every different even that can happen, does. I like this idea and it makes me think of what would happen if real life was like that. People make decisions all the time that lead to different things, and if they had made a different decision their whole life could have been different. I wonder what it would be like if, like the book, someone in real life could just make a different decision or play each decision out to see what would happen.

Julie Morvitz

I thought The Lottery in Babylon was a very interesting story. Normally, when one thinks of gambling they only think about either gaining or losing money. This story introduces a new concept, that if you lose there is a consequence. In Babylon, the Lottery was of utmost importance, and if someone lost, there would be horrible consequences including someone’s worst fears. It also brought about the idea that if the Lottery is all about chance, why shouldn’t each part of it be about chance? In Babylon, that would mean choosing the person’s consequence, who delivers the consequence, and so on, all through different drawings involving chance. I thought this was an interesting and very different way of going about a simple lottery.
I thought The Library of Babel was a little confusing, but it brought about good ideas as well. The story focused on the idea that the universe is a library, and all the books are different people. Although I like this metaphor, I don’t think it holds true in all respects, because the story says that no two books are the same (like people), but in libraries there are usually many copies of the same book.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Garden of Forking Paths”

This story is very distinct and unlike the others it contains new elements, further than just the concept of a labyrinth. It begins with a man who is on the run from his enemy Captain Richard Madden. Though it is not stated explicitly, the narrator must have committed some sort of desperate war crime which has forced him to go into hiding until he can mitigate the threat posed by Capt. Richard Madden. While wandering on his escape path he comes across a garden that reminds him of his ancestor Ts’ui Pen. Ts’ui Pen dedicated the last thirteen years of his life to seclusion inside the Pavillion of Limpid Solitude. He wanted to create both a novel and a labyrinth. The narrator remarks that his labyrinth was never found and his novel was published but made no sense. Within the garden the narrator encounters a man named Stephen Albert, who uncovers the mysteries of his ancestor Ts’ui Pen. It turns out that Ts’ui Pen did in fact fulfill his life’s goal; his nonsense novel was actually “the garden of forking paths”, a labyrinth within a book. The novel contains various paths in which the main character either dies, lives, meets his enemy, kills his enemy or even coexists with his enemy. The possibilities are endless, because the story always ends the same way it began, taking you on a new path each time. The narrator realizes that his ancestor’s novel applies to his current predicament, and with that in mind he shoots Albert with a revolver just as Madden enters the room. The story ends just as it began with the narrator on the run from his enemy. Perhaps the next path will involve the narrator confronting Madden or maybe he will be captured and killed. There’s no telling what’s going to happen next. This story was thrilling to say the least and I believe Borges has truly outdone himself. The message here is that life is simply a labyrinth of limitless intersecting paths.

Victoria Gornopolskaya

“The Garden of Forking Paths” was very sophisticated and suspenseful, something I did not expect from Borges. It offers an innovative philosophical explanation for the “path” which we call life. According to Borges, life is full of twists and turns, all leading up to the same path. In other words, life is analogous to a labyrinth, because once we find our way through the tangled labyrinth one life has ended and a new life has begun. By choosing the right path to follow we navigate our way through the labyrinth until we reach the forking paths. Just as the narrator in the story fulfills one path of his life, he begins anew, and will continue doing so until he reaches his final destiny. Life has a way of working itself out until the ultimate path is completed; once you have achieved this sort of path then your life has satisfied its meaning. I admire the attitude that Borges holds towards life, he is indeed an author who connects with his work.

Michael Lampasona

This story was one of my favorites so far by Borges. The story is about a book which first appeared in 1932. The book is about a nameless protagonist who is searching for Al-Mu'tasim. Al-Mu'tasim is not clearly defined in the text, and it is left up to the reader to decide who this is, and who the main character is.

In the book, the main character is in the middle of a Muslim and Hindu conflict. He kills someone and does not know who, or which side they were on. He then proceeds to search for Al-Mu'tasim, and finally is successful. This is where the story abruptly ends.

I liked this story, and found Borges analysis interesting. Personally, I think that the protaganist was just an average man who was without faith. Throughout the story, regardless of what religion it was, he found Al-Mu'tasim, and this was the correct ending to his path in life. I believe the story was sending the message that faith has importance, and it is not necessary to say which religion the unnamed protagonist found.

Carly Cooper

I actually really liked this story. While the connection between the main character running away and meeting this man who has discovered a secret in one of the main characters ancestor's works is vague it is also powerful in regards to the end of the story. The parts of the story about him running away for his life were interesting to read and captivating as I was also wondering if he would escape or be caught. However the discovery about Ts'ui Pen's book and what it means was even more interesting and really give you something to think about. The way that if time were ignored and events could be repeated the outcomes are infinite and anything is possible is certainly something that can occupy the mind for hours on end. I could probably sit and wonder what could have happened in anyone situation of my own life and that is why the discovery is so amazing. while I didnt understand where Madden came from, I thought it was very interesting the way the spy knew he would die and therefore, in order to get his information to his people, killed the man with the name of the city he was to warn them about.

Emily Skahill

“The Lottery in Babylon,” “Prologues to The Library of Babel,” “The Library of Babel”

The Lottery in Babylon was really interesting. A lottery where the outcome is already decided and my fate is left in the hands of unknown people leaving my fate to death or fortune? I don’t think I’d like to partake in that sort of thing, but it’s really crazy to think about. Borges isn’t really the horrible writer I said he was, his logic and insight is incredible but his actual wording of his ideas are ridiculous. I did not enjoy the Library of Babel. The narrator, a dying many, seems to live for this library and believes the hexagonal library and the books it holds is the key to prophesizing how the future will be and explaining how the past was. he discusses that these books contain everything imaginable that could ever take place. it says that all men were in pure joy when they heard the library contained all books. its funny to think about in today's society where people would rather watch television or search the internet than go to the library.

Emily Skahill

The two readings were really short and as always really boring. hopefully the readings will be more interesting soon. Borges is a really bad writer in my opinion. maybe in his time he was wonderful but i think it's way past his time. his writing is worse than shakespeare. i hate shakespeare at least its kind of interesting though.

I really liked Al mutasim, it sort of teaches the reader about how life can be if  they have religion in their lives. Committing murder is a sin and the law student in this story murders a person to renounce his religion. This story is about a loss of faith and a mans search for it. .

I don’t know, I really hate having to read Borges. it's so boring and i have trouble staying awake throughout each reading.

Natalya Gornopolskaya

Blog by Natalya Gornopolskaya
“The Lottery in Babylon,” “Prologues to The Library of Babel,” “The Library of Babel”

I enjoyed this first story very much. I have previously read several short stories involving a lottery but never one quite like this. The people of Babylon subject themselves to a lottery of chance in which the fate of all people is decided. Sometimes the outcome is fortunate, but other times it may result in death. No one knows which company is involved or who the people in charge are, but both are certainly a powerful force in the lottery. Just as the story mentions, I too wonder why these people continue to consent to such a lottery that offers virtually no benefits for anyone involved. Simply anyone is at risk of torture, death and many other dire consequences. Why must such a barbarous lottery continue at the expense of the Babylonians? Perhaps Borges is simply trying to convey that the lottery itself is an invisible force of fate that exists whether people agree with it or not. He’s saying that fate is like this all powerful company that exists in secrecy, for the sole purpose of deciding upon each and all of our individual fates. Sometimes good things can happen and other times things don’t turn out so well, but the point is we have no control. It is not up to us to decide upon our fates, because an unseen force has already made our decisions.

“The Library of Babel”, embodies the reoccurring Borgesian theme of the Labyrinth, which in this case means the library. The library is an unquantifiable hexagon, which contains every book, which holds any language, thought or word known to man. He also mentions a crimson hexagon which contains this never-ending book that somehow holds all of the information contained in every book ever written. Such possibilities are both extraordinary and fascinating to consider. The part that interests me most is how the narrator believes that every book is all in the same, and that libraries contain many books written in an indecipherable, repeating language or code. This means that libraries catalogue so much more than just books. Libraries are the windows to new worlds, and each library is like a universe of symbols. This new concept of a library is extremely thoughtful and revolutionary in meaning.

Victoria Gornopolskaya

“The Lottery in Babylon” by Jorge Luis Borges was a very interesting story to read. I enjoyed learning the history of the lottery and how it came to evolve into its present form. I also found it terrifying that all the people of Babylon must participate and share the risk of having awful luck. The premise for this sort of a lottery is chilling to think about, but I feel as though this could never happen in real life. Real people are not quite as unphased as the Babylonians and would definitely take a stand against such a hazardous game of chance. I believe the reason why the Babylonians refuse to put an end to the lottery is because they wouldn’t know how to go about doing so. Since the lottery is managed by a top secret organization of incredibly vital officials, the people would be powerless if they were to go against it. By remaining blissfully ignorant these people allow themselves to be controlled and taken advantage of by this political tool called of a lottery. I believe Borges wrote this piece in order to show how society is always afraid of going against a stronger opponent, in this case, the government.

I thought that the ideas Borges presents in “The Library of Babel” were monumental and not of this time. For a library in Borges’s terms is a hexagon, containing twenty shelves of books arranged in a similar way in each different hexagon. This account is written in the tone of an old man, dying, wondering what the future holds for the literary world as he’s known it. It seems to me that this man is dying for a cause, or perhaps as a result of toiling for that limitless sought-after book. I myself never thought of a library as highly as the narrator of the story does. He believes that the library is an infinite hexagonal realm of knowledge filled with books that hold the key to the future. He speaks of the checkered past when books that were perceived as “nonsense” were forever removed from the shelves. This man has obviously dedicated a great deal of his life for the greater good of the library. I find it tragic that as his life nears its end he condemns himself for never finding the meaning he was searching for in a particular book. However he is optimistic towards the future of the library and sees himself as a necessary piece of the puzzle. Through reading this story I come to the message that there is life after death within the books within libraries that will continuously shape our future

Kristy Medina

"The Lottery of Babylon" made me recognize Jorge Luis Borges' writing style and how sophisticated and intense it really is. Within the first paragraph, "Once, for an entire lunar year I was declared invisible..." that end part of the paragraph made me really appreciate his writing style. Also, Borges is really smart, this isn't the first time he discusses logic and other complex subjects within his work. In "the Library of Babel," the same thing he opens up talking about complex math terms and physics thoughts. I was wondering whether this story had any major metaphors within it- like the Company for example, is it supposed to mean something else besides the Company? Also, there is always a repetitive theme of a labyrinth- I think that should be the name of the course. Borges talks a little about a labyrinth in both short stories.