I found Jorge Luis Borges to be a great author with a unique style and mastery of language; “Labyrinth and Selected Stories” very well showcases his imaginative and thought-provoking writing.
I found Identity to be a major theme of this collection as Borges often explored the idea of multiple identities and the fluidity of identity as the characters struggled with the question of who they truly are. This theme was particularly evident in “Borges and I” where Borges separates his own identity from that of his writing, treating them as distinct entities. In some sense, this raises questions about the relationship between the artist and their works, challenging our conventional understanding.
A personal favorite of mine from this collection was the Circular Ruins. The dreamlike setting of this story and its exploration of multiple themes was particularly captivating to me; the story raises questions about the nature of reality and the relationship between imagination and creation. If anything, going back, I can better understand the reason behind the idea of the writer and Borges being two separate entities as well the emphasis on the theme of reality vs. fiction. Besides, I found the whole storyline of a magician traveling to a remote jungle to create a “dreamer” quite fascinating.
"Funes the Memorious" is another one of my personal favorites from the collection. The title alone was very captivating and immediately drew me in. Besides, before reading this story, I never thought about how memories can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, being able to recall every moment of your life in vivid detail sounds like a gift. However, the way Borges portrays Funes' situation made me realize that it can also lead to a sense of confinement and limit one's ability to think critically. It was sort of the idea that in real life, although details are crucial, it is equally crucial to keep in mind the broader perspective. This story also made me consider the idea of too much information and how it can be overwhelming and hinder one's ability to make sense of the world. I remember discussing this with my peers and the idea of how difficult it is, especially in today's world, to reach a common agreement on any issue due to the multitude of disciplines and the abundance of experts within each field. This is evident even in closely related fields like economics and finance, which despite having several similarities, struggle to reach an agreement because of the unique details present within each of them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection not only for its creativity and clever use of language but also for its emphasis on relevant and thought-provoking themes.
Discussion Question: Which was your favorite story from the collection?
In "Circular Ruins" we find some of Borges's themes and obsessions in a slightly different way, more direct if you will. The theme of dreams and memory appears in many of the stories and they are like variations on a melody. That this collection has been an enjoyable read for you shows that Borges has different ways of telling, and that at least some of them are accessible to readers from different contexts. thanks for your post
ReplyDeleteHi Chanya, thanks so much for a great blog post!! I agree with you that identity was a very central theme all throughout. I think you bring about an important point in highlighting the fluidity of this theme of identity--as it took form in both literal and figurative ways. For example, In Circular Ruins, various "identities" are grappling with one another--such as the diety, the man, and others. It's interesting to see the ways in which Borges was able to maintain the theme of identity all throughout despite the book being in short story compilation format. Circular Ruins was my favourite story in the book!
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