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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Excruciating to get through but only because I’m thick and it was way too smart for me - the stories I did understand were beautiful though.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Jorge Luis Borges never wrote a full-length novel. This book is a compilation of his short stories, essays, and parables, some of which I really enjoyed, most of which I did not. Certain short stories from Borges were assignments for my Spanish Literature class during my first semester of college. I wanted to read this compilation to make up for the fact that I only skimmed most of the readings for that class (I'm sorry Osvaldo!) but I was hoping I would appreciate it more now that I didn't have to read it for a grade. Even though I have a deep love for short stories, I was unfortunately disappointed by this collection. I felt like I was reading a mathematical proof rather than a work of literature. I respect that Borges had his obsession with fate, infinity, and metafiction, but since most of his works shared similar themes, it sometimes felt like I was reading the same story multiple times. I recalled reading 'The Garden of Forking Paths' for class, and I thought it was very well-crafted and interesting, but then it felt like multiple other stories from later in the collection told very similar, less interesting tales.
My favorites of the short stories were the ones that broke from this mold and focused on unusual characters and perspectives. For example, in 'The House of Asterion,' the narrator describes his life in a house with infinite rooms, and through his description of his home as well as who visits him there, the reader comes to understand that the narrator is the Minotaur. I also particularly enjoyed 'The Shape of the Sword,' 'Death and the Compass,' 'Theme of the Traitor and the Hero,' and 'Emma Zunz.' However, a few good stories do not a good book make. The other stories felt repetitive and dense, and the essays and parables were practically incomprehensible to me. Overall, I wish I had just read the stories I was supposed to read for class, and then I wouldn't have felt the need to read this whole collection.
My favorites of the short stories were the ones that broke from this mold and focused on unusual characters and perspectives. For example, in 'The House of Asterion,' the narrator describes his life in a house with infinite rooms, and through his description of his home as well as who visits him there, the reader comes to understand that the narrator is the Minotaur. I also particularly enjoyed 'The Shape of the Sword,' 'Death and the Compass,' 'Theme of the Traitor and the Hero,' and 'Emma Zunz.' However, a few good stories do not a good book make. The other stories felt repetitive and dense, and the essays and parables were practically incomprehensible to me. Overall, I wish I had just read the stories I was supposed to read for class, and then I wouldn't have felt the need to read this whole collection.
Oh, man, I appreciate what Borges is doing with short fiction, but this was really over my head for the majority of the stories. Glad I gave this a try but it's very much Not My Thing.
challenging
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An influential collection of stories that play with and distort our notions of time and reality. Mind-bending and trippy. The essays deal with similar subject matter, but fail to resonate anywhere near the way the stories do.
adventurous
challenging
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This was an intriguing, but often difficult, read. I will probably use "The Garden of the Forking Paths" and "The Shape of the Sword" as short stories to teach in my fall class, with "The Argentine Writer and Tradition" as an essay example. 3.5 stars.