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Joyce Smaragdis
Precis for Final Project
March 7, 1996
Borges: Post-Modern Visionary or Defeatist?
In my final project, I would like to examine (in as much detail as possible) Borges' The Immortal and The Library of Babel. I want to explore some of the larger issues that Borges examines in these two short stories. Specifically, I am interested in Borges' sentiments on knowledge, death, and religion. I intend to examine Modernist notions/conceptualizations of the aforementioned concepts and contrast modernist conceptualization to those which Borges forwards via his fictional constructions. I intend to explore the ways in which Borges' sentiments on knowledge, death, and religion can be empowering for students, students of literature in particular. I am also interested in the limits of Borges' vision; if post-modernism complicates the premises of modernism, I would like to examine some of the limits of a post-modern approach.
At this stage in the game, I am afraid that I will not be able to do half of what I propose. Nevertheless, I am very interested in exploring the historical context in which Borges created. Some questions that I plan to examine include: How did Brazil's political, social, cultural (etc) environment affect Borges' writing? What are some of the significant details of Borges' life story which might help to illuminate some of his ontological and metaphysical ruminations?
It seems to me that Borges was somewhat of a visionary; I want to find out to what extent this premonition is accurate.
Precis Draft Three
Annotated Bibliography