The Library of Babel
This story really annoyed me because aside from it being boring and having no actual plot, I hate that the narrator kept emphasizing that libraries are infinite. It's just a fact that they aren't and you can't argue with that. I know he tried to explain it at the end when he said, "If an eternal voyager were to traverse [a library] in any direction, he would find, after many centuries, that the same volumes are repeated in the same disorder" (87-88). I get what he is trying to say but with that logic you can argue that any room in the world is infinite. He makes out libraries to be so special and magical when they are just normal buildings filled with books.
His mention of the Purifiers reminded me a lot of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Borges wrote: "They would invade the hexagons, exhibiting credentials which were not always false, skim through a volume with annoyance, and then condemn entire bookshelves to destruction: their ascetic, hygenic fury is responsible for the senseless loss of millions of books" (84-85). The novel Fahrenheit 451 is set in a society that burns books in order to prevent the acquisition of knowledge, and instead relies heavily on technology for entertainment. Clearly, this concept relates to Borges idea of the Purifiers. I found it interesting, however, that the narrator was not really bothered by the loss of these books. He states how "the Library is so enormous that any reduction taken by humans is infinitesimal" (85). This perspective differs from Fahrenheit 451 because in Bradbury's novel the main character, Guy, is extremely troubled by the ignorance of his civilization and the wreckage they create. I was actually surprised that the narrator was so chill about the loss of books considering his obsession with libraries.
The final thought I want to bring up occurred to me after I read this quote on page 82: "There are not, in the whole vast Library, two identical books." This idea made me think that the whole story is just an extended metaphor for the universe we live in, with the books representing the people. Whenever you hear about something being infinite it always tends to be about space, and individuality is usually linked with a discussion about humans. Looking at Borges' story that way makes it a lot more captivating, but overall it's not as good as the other two tales we've read by him.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Stuttgart: Klett Sprachen, 2007.
His mention of the Purifiers reminded me a lot of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Borges wrote: "They would invade the hexagons, exhibiting credentials which were not always false, skim through a volume with annoyance, and then condemn entire bookshelves to destruction: their ascetic, hygenic fury is responsible for the senseless loss of millions of books" (84-85). The novel Fahrenheit 451 is set in a society that burns books in order to prevent the acquisition of knowledge, and instead relies heavily on technology for entertainment. Clearly, this concept relates to Borges idea of the Purifiers. I found it interesting, however, that the narrator was not really bothered by the loss of these books. He states how "the Library is so enormous that any reduction taken by humans is infinitesimal" (85). This perspective differs from Fahrenheit 451 because in Bradbury's novel the main character, Guy, is extremely troubled by the ignorance of his civilization and the wreckage they create. I was actually surprised that the narrator was so chill about the loss of books considering his obsession with libraries.
The final thought I want to bring up occurred to me after I read this quote on page 82: "There are not, in the whole vast Library, two identical books." This idea made me think that the whole story is just an extended metaphor for the universe we live in, with the books representing the people. Whenever you hear about something being infinite it always tends to be about space, and individuality is usually linked with a discussion about humans. Looking at Borges' story that way makes it a lot more captivating, but overall it's not as good as the other two tales we've read by him.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Stuttgart: Klett Sprachen, 2007.
I think the story was about a fictional library, it wasn't supposed to be normal it was like a crazy thing they discovered. It's not supposed to be like a super basic library at a high school, it's like a mega-infinite library with unlimited shenanigans. Anyways, I do agree with your idea about part of this being about individuality. I feel like he kinda puts that out there at more than one point in the story.
ReplyDeleteI think your perspective on how individuality relates to the library is a good point. Despite the similarities that two books can have, they can never be exactly the same. Usually individuality isn't attributed to non-living objects that often. Each book has its unique "character" and meaning, despite that fact that the majority of them seem to make no sense. I found some of the factions trying to find meaning within these books to be peculiar. The book burning was really strange, and it seems that the library was driving people insane. The narrator mentions suicide on multiple occasions, so that possibly explains their actions.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this story was more difficult to read because of the lack of plot. Instead, Borges is describing a society (which seems almost dystopian, similar to the society that you reference in "Fahrenheit 451). The people are prevented from accomplishing their tasks, and seem almost trapped in this circular and endless library.
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