Barth meets Borges in the funhouse
01 Jan 1994-Iss: 3, pp 19-34
TL;DR: Barth et al. as discussed by the authors adopted many of Borges's narrative techniques and themes and adapted them to suit his own needs to express the view of the world as fragmentary, which is expressed by using symbols and images such as the mirror, the labyrinth or the appearances of doubles in the stories.
Abstract: Man y critics ha ve pointed out that Jorge Luis Borges' s and John Barth' s works share clear affinities This resemblance, however, is not based on an imitation of style and content Instead, Barth adopts many ofBorges's narrative techniques and themes and adapts them to suit his own needs The result is a convergence of thought, a common response toward creation as a means of expressing their view of reality Both authors question the nature of reality and explore the possibilities that literature offers as a medium which can express a paradoxical reality that defies apprehension through language Lost in the Funhouse (1966) is Barth' s first collection of short stories They ·draw on one ofBorges's main themes: the view ofthe world as fragmentary, which is expressed by using symbols and images such as the mirror, the labyrinth or the appearances of doubles in the stories Barth hirnselfhas acknowledged hi s debt to the Argentinean author in various essays In "The Literature of Exhaustion," he pays tribute to Borges's work and points out its importance in relation to postrnodemism For him, Borges is the father of postmodemism dueto hi s innovative style and the self-reflexive aspect ofhis stories According to Barth, Borges's short stories are not to be considered as independent entities, but as parts of a whole text which express a certain view of the world and of Iiterature Barth admits that Lost in the Funhouse was inspired by Boq~es's stories He says in the foreword of the collection:
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25 Dec 2015
TL;DR: In this article, a modal system of fictional worlds, the types of possible worlds, and the typology of accessibility relations to the post-modernist absurd play, Miss Witherspoon (2005), in an attempt to unravel the possible meanings and the variable reality projected in the text.
Abstract: During the postmodern era, the concept of ‘absolute reality’ has been replaced by the concept of ‘pluralism’. Reality in the postmodern works has been deliberately mystified to open the realm for an indefinite number of possibilities through subjective perception and interpretation. Possible Worlds Theory (PWT) is a postmodern theory that has an explanatory power in discovering the hidden layers of meanings in the work of fiction with their variable realities. Postmodern absurd drama is selected for this study because of its great potential of presenting works with no clear center and no fixed reality, leading to ambiguity which would be a rich medium for the application of PWT. Marie Laure Ryan is a literary scholar and critic whose possible worlds typologies and techniques will be applied to Miss Witherspoon (2005) by the American dramatist, Christopher Durang. The rationale behind choosing Durang’s play is that it is one of Durang’s most absurd plays which presents a rich field for PWT application. The purpose of this study is to apply Ryan’s modal system of fictional worlds, the types of possible worlds, and the typology of accessibility relations to the postmodernist absurd play, Miss Witherspoon (2005), in an attempt to unravel the possible meanings and the variable reality projected in the text. The study also highlights the different types of conflict as approached by Ryan, occurring between the different worlds and its significance in creating multiple meanings and possible realities
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Book•
01 Jan 1979
TL;DR: The role of the reader in the reader's role is discussed in this article, where Peirce and the Semiotic Foundations of Openness: Signs as Texts and Texts as Signs.
Abstract: Preface Introduction: The Role of the Reader I. Open 1. The Poetics of the Open Work 2. The Semantics of Metaphor 3. On the Possibility of Generating Aesthetic Messages in an Edenic Language II. Closed 4. The Myth of Superman 5. Rhetoric and Ideology in Sue's Les Mysteres de Paris 6. Narrative Structures in Fleming III. Open/Closed 7. Peirce and the Semiotic Foundations of Openness: Signs as Texts and Texts as Signs 8. Lector in Fabula: Pragmatic Strategy in a Metanarrative Text Appendix 1 Appendix 2 Bibliography
793 citations
Book•
[...]
01 Jan 1989
TL;DR: The Poetics of the Open Work as discussed by the authors is an analysis of Poetic Language and its relationship to openness, information, communication, and social commitment in the visual arts, as well as the structure of bad taste.
Abstract: 1. The Poetics of the Open Work 2. Analysis of Poetic Language 3. Openness, Information, Communication 4. The Open Work in the Visual Arts 5. Chance and Plot: Television and Aesthetics 6. Form as Social Commitment 7. Form and Interpretation in Luigi Pareyson's Aesthetics 8. Two Hypotheses about the Death of Art 9. The Structure of Bad Taste 10. Series and Structure 11. The Death of the Gruppo 63 Notes Index
657 citations
Book•
[...]
01 Jan 1980
TL;DR: The nombre de la rosa as mentioned in this paper is a novela de Umberto Eco that relata the magnifica historia de un sabio monje franciscano (Connery) that, junto a pupilo (Slater), acude a una abadia remota for intentar resolver unos extranos y misteriosos asesinatos a los que nadie encuentra explicacion aparente.
Abstract: GENERO Y CRITICA Intriga. Edad Media / SINOPSIS: Siglo XIV. Todo comienza una hermosa manana de finales de noviembre del ano del senor 1327 cuando Fray Guillermo de Baskerville (Sean Connery), un monje franciscano y antiguo inquisidor, y su inseparable discipulo el novicio Adso de Melk (Christian Slater), que es quien relata la historia, acuden a una abadia benedictina situada en el norte de la peninsula italiana para intentar esclarecer la muerte del joven miniaturista Adelmo da Otranto. Durante su estancia en la abadia van desapareciendo misteriosamente mas monjes, a quienes encuentran muertos al poco tiempo. Lentamente, y gracias a la informacion aportada por algunos monjes, Guillermo va esclareciendo los hechos. El movil de los crimenes parecen ser unos antiguos tratados sobre la licitud de la risa que se encuentran en la biblioteca del complejo, de la cual se dice que es la mayor del mundo cristiano. ?Quien es el asesino? ?Que hicieron sus victimas para morir asesinadas? Nadie lo sabe... ---------------------------------------Acertada adaptacion de la exitosa novela de Umberto Eco, "El nombre de la rosa" es una tenebrosa intriga medieval que relata la magnifica historia de un sabio monje franciscano (Connery) que, junto a su pupilo (Slater), acude a una abadia remota para intentar resolver unos extranos y misteriosos asesinatos a los que nadie encuentra explicacion aparente. Del argumento no se deben dar mas datos. Una excelente ambientacion e interpretaciones impecables se pusieron al servicio de una gran obviedad: que aquel libro fascinante y complejo tenia un interesantisima intriga que pedia a gritos su adaptacion al cine.
67 citations