Poets under the Influence: Antonio Machado and Jorge Luis Borges

This article offers a comparative study of two poems by Antonio Machado and Jorge Luis Borges, respectively, in the light of Harold Bloom's theory of influence. As well as having the figure of the father as their subject, both poems share a number of formal and structural features, suggesting a relation of influence. Their different tone, however, reveals a disparity in their stance towards the internalized tradition symbolized in the image of the father. The dynamic behind their individual positions vis-à-vis poetic tradition is explored in the context of the emergence and subsequent demise of the avant-garde.