Task: Consider this quote from Jorge Luis Borges and one of his most famous short stories, “Shakespeare’s Memory”: “No one may capture in a single instant the fullness of his entire past.” Although Borges tries desperately to let us know this in many of his stories, especially “El Aleph” (Check it out if you are interested in the universe and all its infinite wisdom), he is absolutely right: We cannot nail down our entire lives in a single moment, but we can try! That is what critical reading and thinking is all about. Therefore, consider this idea of figuring out any and all genres you can within your selected short story from class (if you wish another, email me ASAP, and we can negotiate): Consider the genres and subgenres within your chosen short story and respond to the following: What genres and subgenres does your book represent, how are those genres represented in the story, and do they allow the writer to create a decent story? Answer this by analyzing quotes and passages from your short story, and by synthesizing all of that information into a thesis that evaluates the quality of the story you chose! in other words, what genres, what makes them effective, and do they add or subtract from the quality of the story??
