[-empyre-] Viewing Axalotls

["Jim Andrews" <jim@vispo.com>]

Hi Regina,

Reading the "Axalotls" story by Cortazar in your piece "Viewing Axalotls" at
http://arteonline.arq.br/viewing_axolotls , I am reminded somewhat of Franz
Kafka's story "The Metamorphosis," where the speaker turns into a giant
cockroach (the Kafka text is at
http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/stories/kafka-E.htm , for those who might
like to check it out). But the transformation of Gregor Samsa in Kafka's
story seems quite different from the transformation in Cortazar's story. In
Kafka's story, the transformation is an absurdly terrible thing, a life
wasted to the point where it is somehow only natural that he has turned into
a big disgusting bug. Whereas the transformation in Cortazar to Axalotls
does not seem to have those overtones. I wonder if you would care to comment
on that aspect of the story and your use of the Cortazar story?

Also, I note that Cortazar's "Axalotls" is from his collection "The End of
the Game" and your piece has a kind of a game in it. Is this coincidence?

jaxalotls