SOURCE: "Intimations of Terror in Borges' Metaphysics," in Symposium, Vol. 31, No. 3, Fall, 1977, pp. 196-211.

In the following essay, Kadir uses concepts of meta-physics and theology to examine the nature and aesthetic value of terror in the works of Jorge Luis Borges.

The paths to Borges' work through theology and philosophy, as implied by the title of this essay, are indicated by Borges himself: "I am merely a man who has tried to explore the literary possibilities of metaphysics and of religion."¹ My purpose here is to illuminate the concept of terror in Borges' work by referring to these cognate disciplines.

In the unlikely event that evidence other than Borges' "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius" were not within reach, the evocation of this work alone would justify the claim, so often intimated by the writer, that theology and philosophy are branches of fantastic literature. Conversely, an equally justifiable claim...