I grouped a bunch of my classes & called my major, ‘Modern Intellectual Movements.’( ‘Movements’ was the operative word.) I used Borges as representative of this era. Mostly, though, I chose him because I enjoy his writing more than that of any other author I’ve read. I want to be challenged by ideas, I want to puzzle over the meaning of a story.

But I also love Borges because he shows one how to get by as a lazy writer: for example, he wrote many short stories that were ‘reviews’ of entire novels–which he then did not have to write. How brilliant is that?

He also wrote single paragraph ‘stories’ that were as elegant & precise as any poem.

Unfortunately, the old Borges became connected with the awful Pinochet party somehow–but I like to think Mr. B was simply old & unaware. I don’t understand how a man, who wrote what he did, could suddenly support someone like Pinochet. But–Allende DID nationalize a lot of private property & pissed off a LOT of normal people in SA. He SURELY did not deserve to be murdered by Kissinger & Pinochet! But who knows what lies & propaganda Kissinger, et al, spread in SA to whitewash that murder? Borges may have heard those lies & believed them.

BLH, I am SO pleased that you are using Borges in your class! And please write more about ‘modern’ vs ‘post-modern’ for us.

Also, what is ‘meta-fiction?’ Is that just short for ‘metaphysical fiction?’

Finally–do you like Percival Everett? I LOVE his stuff. I only just ‘found’ him as an author & have read as many of his books as I can find. “I Am Not Sidney Poitier” is a SCREAM! Just super funny–& wicked.

L&K–MaryB

Clearly Kafka was on to something a little more. Just as there is more to a dream than the fact of not actually occuring, the circumstances of Kafka’s The Trial and of stories like “The Metamorphosis” are not automatically applicable to any and all bureaucratic or unusual machinations and happenings. It might be an interesting assignment to ask the class to examine its assumptions about the meaning of “Kafkaesque” and to pen an essay on the subject.