BASC70234 - Two Latin American Masters of the Short Story Part 1 - Borges' Short Fiction: Philosophical Fables and Alternative Realities

Course Description

Instructor:  Joshua Daniel.  This short course is Part I of an exploration of the Latin American short story. This first part examines the short fiction of Jorge Luis Borges, perhaps the most significant and influential modern writer in the Spanish. Though often associated with movements like surrealism and magical realism, Borges was truly his own literary movement. Demonstrating how the short story form could become a means of probing philosophical questions about the relationship between language and reality, he innovated genres like the literary review of imaginary works. Discussion will focus on what Borges turned the short story into once he refused the restraints of realism and naturalism. This course stands alone from Part 2, but one’s appreciation of Borges will definitely be enriched by taking the second part. Course code: BASC70234 Literature