Citing Jorge Luis Borges

Abstract

The works and ideas of Jorge Luis Borges have had a major impact on literature, movies, art, philosophy, and pop culture. His influence in these areas has been documented and studied. To date, however, there has been no significant effort to catalog or discuss the impact Borges has had on legal scholarship. The impact is significant. Hundreds of law journal articles, essays, and book reviews reference Borges and his work. For instance, authors have used Borges stories as a lens through which to analyze legal doctrines and developments. Others have quoted Borges to help convey particular ideas or principles. This paper aims to identify all references to Borges and his work in the legal scholarly literature, and to analyze the ways authors rely on Borges to determine the nature and extent of Borges’s influence on legal scholarship. My aim is primarily to evaluate the scholarly treatment as a whole, rather than focus on individual cases. As such, I have attempted to compile a comprehensive list of Borges references in the legal scholarship to date. If I have omitted any scholarly works that should be included, please let me know and I will happily add them.

Keywords: law and literature, latin america, jorge luis borges, meta scholarship, latin american literature, humanities

JEL Classification: K00,K10