Serene images are often constructed by writers in states of considerable fear

Evidence

Borges wrote this story while going blind, working in a minor library branch, under a fascist government, in a literary tradition that considered him a minor figure. The eternal, serene blind librarian was written by a man who was frightened, marginalized, and losing his sight. The serenity of the image is not given; it was constructed by someone in a state of considerable fear. This is the most important thing about the final image: it was earned. — Jamal Awil, The Whispering Archive, 1630

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to craft of earned endings elsewhere in Awil’s manual and to how biographical suffering underwrites serene art. — connects to: A person can simultaneously feel mortal fear and detached, buoyant calm — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 436; Recognition of precariousness can evoke both horror and calm. — Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, 219; Extreme fear can shrink a person’s presence to something almost weightless — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 427 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Recognition of precariousness can evoke both horror and calm. #corroborates (0.65) — Leo Tolstoy, A Confession, 219
• A person can simultaneously feel mortal fear and detached, buoyant calm #corroborates (0.60) — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 436
• Extreme fear can shrink a person’s presence to something almost weightless #corroborates (0.50) — Julien Gracq, Balcony in the Forest, 427