Macros
Looking inside through a macro lens, The Library of Babel is really cool in the sense that is essentially created a universe composed of everything that has ever been or can be written. It really captures the theme of electronic literature with it’s one of a kind technological setup able to scroll through countless words simply with the click of a mouse. While many of the words seem like utter nonsense, hence the name, perhaps there is a deeper meaning to the words in The Library of Babel. There is so much of the universe that remains in question as to what its purpose is and is lost in meaning, parallel to the Library, which is metaphorically represented here. The hexagonal chambers and shelves have all been interactively designed so we are able to explore the library as agents. I find myself lost in an endless sea of letters and think about this quote found on the page titled “theory”, “So much of the story told by our narrator conjures endless, desolate expanses of hexagons, repeating infinitely and inspiring both the reverence of the God who created them and despair at a life trapped inside them.”. The complexity and vastness of it all is what makes the library so unique.
