Jesse Jimenez

Caitlin Koford Tuesday 5 PM

English 10 - Douglass

Feb 13, 2018

Assignment 2: Annotation and House of Leaves

Approaching the Truth

Footnote A: Footnote 120 (Page 107)

Chapter IX is introduced with three Latin quotes in the text, which are followed by Johnny’s

footnote that explains and proposes that Zampanò plagiarizes secondary sources into his primary

documents to sound skilled and knowledgeable. Through Johnny, we learn the translated Latin

quotes are not originally written by Zampanò, but copied from a work by Penelope Reed Dood.

Throughout the footnote, Johnny delivers his explanation about how he discovered this. This

footnote refers and follows the three Latin quotes introduced in the beginning text. The quotes

signify the difficulty of arriving and leaving the house. Danielewski integrates his footnote into

the opening text in a unique and surprising way that challenges readers to understand what is

occurring. His use of three short Latin quotes in the text rather than complex syntax conveys a

straightforward tone that forces readers to piece the different pieces together. Johnny begins by

leaving his house to encounter with Tatiana, one of Zampanò’s scribes. When Johnny arrives at

her apartment, the two discuss evidence regarding Zampanò’s plagiarizing. However, this

conversation quickly shifts as Tatiana makes a sexual remark, “I won’t let you fuck me.” Their

sexual encounter perhaps suggests the type of women that Zampanò had help him. Although we

do not know if the encounter is real or fictional, the footnote challenges their expectations and

hopes and highlights the concept of truth. Although the text is difficult to interpret,
Danielewski’s approach delivers hidden messages and further emphasizes themes of self-

discovery and life.

Footnote B: “Labyrinth”

This reference defines what a labyrinth is and discusses the role of architecture in art, history,

and literature. The author states, “Labyrinth is an architectural fiction – a constructed myth, an

exaggerated depiction, a fabrication.” This is relevant to the main text because the author

discusses reasons for building labyrinths and explains they have been used for different purposes.

The labyrinth plays a significant role throughout the text as we are interested in the exploration

of the architecture as well as the whole concept of a labyrinth to help contemplate how distances

within the Navidson are distorted. House of Leaves acts as a textual labyrinth in ways such as

when trying to comprehend the book you seem to get nowhere, however, you must make your

way through the labyrinth to comprehend the messages each person conveys.

O'Brien, William. “Labyrinth.” Log, no. 31, 2014, pp. 52–54. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/43630886.

Footnote C: Long Hallways and Dead Ends

I wish someone could recreate a structural plan for the house based on footages from The

Navidson Record. However, this is impossible mostly due to the wall-shifts and inaccurate

mapmaking. What this film does is offer a rendering of long hallways and dead ends that seem

never-ending. When you encounter the book for the first time and approach the footnotes, you

seem to get nowhere. However, you realize this is a textual labyrinth that leads you the in the

right direction around the correct circles. You compare this to a labyrinth because you learn to

approach it in your own manner and make your way through. I am fascinated by learning more
and more about Navidson’s story and I am slowly putting everything together and learning about

Zampanò’s true impressions.