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Bioy Casares
Pierre Menard is a fictional friend of Borges. He is the subject of the story “Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote,” which follows his unconventional goal of writing Don Quixote as himself. In examining Menard’s work, Borges explores ideas of authorship and Menard’s idea that writing and creating is as natural as breathing. However, Menard never wished for his version of Don Quixote to be read after his death—thus, Borges is the reader’s only source on this project.
Pierre Menard Quotes in Ficciones
The Ficciones quotes below are all either spoken by Pierre Menard or refer to Pierre Menard. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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3. Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote Quotes
To be, in some way, Cervantes and to arrive at Don Quixote seemed to him less arduous—and consequently less interesting—than to continue being Pierre Menard and to arrive at Don Quixote through the experiences of Pierre Menard.
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“To think, analyze and invent,” he also wrote me, “are not anomalous acts, but the normal respiration of the intelligence. To glorify the occasional fulfillment of this function, to treasure ancient thoughts of others, to remember with incredulous amazement that the doctor universalis thought, is to confess our languor or barbarism. Every man should be capable of all ideas, and I believe that in the future he will be.”
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6. An Examination of the Work of Herbert Quain Quotes
“I do not belong to Art, but merely to the history of art.”
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Pierre Menard Character Timeline in Ficciones
The timeline below shows where the character Pierre Menard appears in Ficciones. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
3. Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote
Borges writes about the fictional French writer Pierre Menard, attempting to defend his literary reputation. Borges specifies that Menard’s “visible” works are “easily enumerated,”...
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Borges references a letter Menard sent him. In the letter, Menard explained that, at first, he wished to imitate Cervantes...
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Borges wonders why Menard chose Don Quixote for this project, and he remembers Menard telling him that the novel...
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Borges goes on to compare the texts of the original and Menard’s version of Don Quixote side by side, highlighting some of the differences that their respective...
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Finally, Borges examines Menard’s motivations for recreating the novel. Menard stated that his “useless” endeavor was to prove the...
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