Publisher's Synopsis
The absence of metonymical emphasis in Borges' prose, of the realism promoted by XIXth-century writers, and the vaguely nihilistic tenor of XXth-century philosophy, have contributed to the opinion that the Borgesian character is, at best, a spectral presence. To negate the individual, however, is to negate the vital experience that gives him identity, and Borges, arguably, does not deny human experience. The Borgesian protagonist is not really incomplete, only projected and perceived incompletely. Lived experience informs Borges' prose fiction, and is indeed central to his critical readings of the great masters. Even the readers's own visual experience--particularly chromatic perception--is subtly alerted and drawn into some of Borges' prose writings.
