AN IRONIC INTERSECTION OF REALITY AND FICTIONALITY: TLÖN, UQBAR, ORBIS TERTIUS

The irony of reality and fictionality in Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius by Jorge Luis Borges makes us rethink about exactly what both reality and fictionality/unreality are, and also surprises the reader with the common aspects of the construction processes of reality and fictionality. Fictionality takes the place of reality and this is carried out surprisingly by means of an encyclopedia accepted as the information source for reality. While making an irony of reality and fictionality in the text, Borges follows an encyclopedic style of language and sometimes goes on writing his narration like an article including many footnotes and references; that is, he uses the presentation form of reality by disrupting reality and gives the fictionality the reality appearance in the same presentation way. Tlön is a narrative in which a parallel concept of reality and its gradual, inevitable encroachment dominate every aspect of everyday reality where alternative universe is seen to prevail. In an environment like that where reality loses, what is said in the name of reality becomes doubtful and the question of how real they are preoccupies one’s mind. In this context, this article aims to show how the irony of reality and fictionality is created in the story, ironically draw our attention to what consists of the base of reality and to reveal how the assumptions of reality and fictionality are unsettled.