The Library of Babel

“The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite, perhaps infinite number of hexagonal galleries. In the center of each gallery is a ventilation shaft, bounded by a low railing. From any hexagon one can see the floors above and below—one after another, endlessly.”

The story’s opening introduces the central theme of infinity as embodied in the vast, all-encompassing galleries of the Library. The narrator describes feeling overwhelmed and disoriented when looking up and down at the multiple layers of floors filled with ever more galleries.

“Idealists argue that the hexagonal rooms are the necessary shape of absolute space, or at least of our perception of space. They argue that a triangular or pentagonal chamber is inconceivable. (Mystics claim that their ecstasies reveal to them a circular chamber containing an enormous circular book with a continuous spine that goes completely around the walls. But their testimony is suspect, their words obscure. That cyclical book is God.) Let it suffice for the moment that I repeat the classic dictum: The Library is a sphere whose exact center is any hexagon and whose circumference is unattainable.”

The librarian explores the differing perspectives on the Library’s architecture. The idealists argue that hexagonal rooms are necessary for understanding space, reflecting a rational and ordered view of knowledge. On the other hand, the mystics offer a more magical and enigmatic interpretation, suggesting a circular chamber with a cyclical book as a symbol of divinity. The idea of an unattainable circumference emphasizes the infinite and incomprehensible nature of the Library, which is a central theme in the story.

“Each wall of each hexagon is furnished with five bookshelves; each bookshelf holds thirty-two books identical in format; each book contains four hundred ten pages; each page, forty lines; each line, approximately eighty black letters. There are also letters on the front cover of each book; those letters neither indicate nor prefigure what the pages inside will say.”

The librarian describes the structure of the books within the Library, emphasizing their uniformity and vast quantity. This detailed description underscores the overwhelming and monotonous nature of the Library’s contents, where each book seems identical in format but holds infinite variations of text.