Jorge Luis Borges: The Argentine journalist, author, and poet was infamous for the way he blended fantastic themes and elements with the real world, and his works continue to resonate with us 30 years after his death.
Borges was also notorious for writing through the lens of a labyrinth- leaving the minds of his readers running in circles. A great deal of his fictional works can leave one questioning everything they thought they once knew about life and religion for weeks, months or even years after reading them ( (Links to an external site.)).
If you quote or paraphrase from the text(s), you must include in-text citation; however, you do not have to include a Works Cited page for this assignment.
Assignment
Step 1:
Complete these two readings about the life of Jorge Luis Borges:
Bibliography: Encyclopedia Britannica (Links to an external site.)
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Bibliography: Thought Co. (Links to an external site.)
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Step 2:
Complete the following readings by Borges: First, read “The Library of Babel” and “the Universe and the Infinite Library”, and then read “The Book of Sand”. Then re-read “The Library of Babel”, followed by “The Book of Sand”. These are very short readings. Repeat this until you think you see the connection. It is Mind-blowing! **
“The Library of Babel” (Links to an external site.)
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Borges, The Universe and the Infinite Library (Links to an external site.)
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“The Book of Sands” (Links to an external site.)
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Step 3: Respond to the following questions. Be sure to thoroughly explain your answers and include examples/ support from the text(s). Use in-text citation; you do not have to include a Works Cited page for this assignment.
What do you find interesting about Borges life, in general and as it relates to his writing (5-6 sentence paragraph)? You may use “I”, “me”, and “my” in your answer but not you, your, we, our, us, or contractions.
What is the connection between the “The Library of Babel”, and the “The Book of Sand”? explain your answer (7-8 sentence paragraph).
Imagine the universe as a library, the largest library possible filled with everything you could ever imagine, an infinite number of galleries, collections and volumes, references, archives, films, and photographs, holding every written work there ever was, is, and will be.
What would you check out? Why? Explain your answer (1-2 paragraphs 7-8 sentences each). You may use “I”, “me”, and “my” in your answer but not you, your, we, our, us, or contractions.
