The book and the labyrinth were one and the same: The figure of the labyrinth in Danielewski, Borges and Eco (Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina, Umberto Eco, Italy, Mark Z. Danielewski)

This thesis examines the figure of the labyrinth in the contemporary novel House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and in relation to works by Jorge Luis Borges and Umberto Eco. House of Leaves presents not only labyrinths with which its characters interact, but a seemingly material, textual labyrinth its readers are forced to navigate. This thesis argues that what are important about these features are that they serve to both extend the broader theoretical concerns of the book, and to (paradoxically) invest the reader more deeply in "the story" and to greater emotional effect.