How Is The Garden Of Forking Paths An Example Of Magical Realism

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Feb 27, 2020 BlackOxford rated it it was amazing

Defeating Time

I recently rebuked Robert Coover for considering hypertext a modern literary invention (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). Electronic technology may have given the genre a name but the idea and practice of hypertext has been around quite a while. I gave the example of the Bible as just such a text. And in his The Garden of the Forking Paths, Borges provides the conceptual rationale for hypertext 80 years ago. He also identifies its primary function: defeating time.

Like all

Defeating Time

Like all hypertext, The Garden of Forking Paths is appropriately biblical. It has a beginning but presumes some sort of prior sentient existence; so really starts in medias res. And like the Bible, the story is about "A labyrinth of symbols," whose interpretation is not given by the text. The book of Genesis has time as the first creation (the primordial separation of light and darkness). So quite understandably, Borges makes his "An invisible labyrinth of time." And the labyrinth is, of course, a book.

The clear anticipation of the Multiverse, in which quantum effects continuously create alternative worlds is obvious:

"In all works of fiction, each time the writer is confronted with choices, he opts for one and discards the rest. In the inextricable Ts'ui Pên, he opts—at one and the same time—for all the alternatives. By so doing, he creates several futures, several times over, and in turn these proliferate and branch off."

Sequentiality, therefore, takes on a new meaning. No longer does it imply merely 'one thing after another.' In Borges's Garden, it means 'everything after everything else,' which is circular. On the one hand, there is no beginning since eventually all recurs. On the other, any point in the cycle can be considered a beginning, a place at which to jump on the carousel of existence: "... each is a point of departure for other branchings off. Now and again, the paths of this labyrinth converge."

So the story in the story is "a vast riddle, or parable, about time." Among other things, this conception resolves the paradox of eternity. If time is linear, it must have a beginning, and therefore by definition excludes eternity. The circularity of time in the Garden is authentic eternity, containing everything that could possibly happen within any slice of it. Good and evil are relativised not just to each other but to existence itself. They are both there and not there.

Thus the "unceasing remorse and weariness," of the protagonist who feels intense pride as well as regret in his accomplishment. Not unlike Yahweh who decided that perhaps all was not that good in his creation just before initiating his exterminating Flood.

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Nearly all the many commentaries I've read on The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges focus on the nature of time as a main theme or THE main theme.

Why do I not encounter more reflections on the nature of space? After all, a labyrinth serves as a pervasive, key image in the tale - and a labyrinth is, above all else, constructed in space. Thus, the story's narrator recollects a common procedure for discovering the central point in certain labyrinths is to "always turn to the left."

Imagin

Nearly all the many commentaries I've read on The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges focus on the nature of time as a main theme or THE main theme.

Imagine standing atop a hill and looking down at an extraordinarily complex garden labyrinth. Your task is to enter the labyrinth on the near side and exit on the far side. You were never that good at puzzles and you can easily imagine yourself wandering in the labyrinth for hours, maybe days before chancing upon the proper exit.

However, if you were given accurate, easy to follow directions such as "always turn to the left," an impossible quagmire immediately becomes an enjoyable short walk. The idea of time doesn't even occur to you, you can walk slowly or quickly or maybe even break into a trot, since it doesn't matter - you always know which way to turn.

Perhaps this emphasis on time derives from the narrator reading the beguiling words of the ancient Ts'ui Pên: "I leave to the various futures (not to all) my garden of forking paths." And then reflecting: "Almost instantly, I understood: 'the garden of forking paths' was the chaotic novel; the phrase 'the various futures (not to all)' suggesting to me the forking of time, not in space."

The narrator muses further on Ts'ui Pên's novel, how, unlike the usual work of fiction where a man chooses one path and therefore eliminates all others, in Ts'ui Pên's novel, the protagonist chooses all paths simultaneously. He therefore creates "diverse futures, diverse times which themselves also proliferate and fork."

Sounds so cool, even trumping a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' tale where various options are left to the reader on which way the plot can turn. With Ts'ui Pên's novel, the plot turns every way all at once leading to multiple plots, in turn, turning every way at once. Methinks it must have been a thick novel, maybe even in some ways similar to the Book of Sand, a book with an infinite number of pages from another Borges tale.

I suspect we can all pinpoint certain decisions we made along our path propelling us in a particular direction (and thereby eliminating other directions). If only we made a different choice, how different our life would have been.

Ah, if only we could see, really see, into the future. Our inability to see into the future drove science fiction author Philip K. Dick bonkers. He was forever creating characters possessing the power and ability to read the future like an open book. What an advantage they had!

Much in this Borges tale hinges on conflict and war, seeing a man as an enemy or a friend, victories and total victory - in other words, seeing the world in terms of me (or us) and the other. In this way, aren't we all held in the grip of the play of maya, the veil of illusion? Seen thusly, wouldn't our liberation, our transcendence, our moksha be framed in terms of space rather than time? We could then reach a level of realization, in effect, a release, a moksha, where we express with all our heart and mind, with our very being: 'Thou art that' or in Sanskrit: 'Tat tvam asi'?

Or would this simply amount to another turn within the Garden of Forking Paths?

Argentine author Jorge Luis Borges, 1899-1986

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Nov 06, 2020 Amalia Gkavea rated it it was amazing

''Summer was drawing to a close, and I realised that the book was monstrous.''

Jorge Luis Borges, one of the most prominent Argentinian writers and one of the forefathers of Magical Realism, created stories where everything takes place in a superbly orchestrated, organized chaos. His world is one of mysteries, bookish cyphers and secrets, a blend of mystical tradition and the Occult. In sceneries made of hallucinatory landscapes, labyrinths, mirrors and gardens, philosophers, men of the law,

''Summer was drawing to a close, and I realised that the book was monstrous.''

''From the rear of the secluded house within a lantern approached: a lantern that the trees sometimes striped and sometimes eclipsed, a paper lantern that had the form of a drum and the colour of the moon.''

The Garden of Forking Paths : A story set in WWI, of secret services, strange ancestors, and the unbroken sequence of Cause and Effect.

The Book of Sand : An infinite book, without a first or last page, without a story or characters, leads its unfortunate owner to despair.

The Circular Ruins : A story on the eternal circle of Fate, of our existence and our actions, and the literary immortality of the stories within the stories.

On Exactitude In Science : I doubt you'll ever read a more bewildering photograph.

''Of the many problems which exercised the reckless discernment of Lonnrot, none was so strange - so rigorously strange, shall we say - as the periodic series of bloody events which culminated at the villa of Treste-le- Roy, amid the ceaseless aroma of the eucalypti.''

Death and the Compass : A story weaved in Kabbala, Jewish tradition, detective puzzles and incarnation.

''A yellow, rounded moon defined two silent fountains in the melancholy garden. Lonnrot explored the house. Through anterooms and galleries he passed to duplicate patios, and time after time to the same patio [...] The house is not this large, he thought. Other things are making it seem longer: the dim light, the symmetry, the mirrors, so many years, my unfamiliarity, the loneliness.''

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Mar 08, 2019 Blair rated it really liked it

Borges' stories are so dense – it took me several hours to read this tiny volume (54 pages); I'd usually read a novella twice the length in half the time. This collection is a perfect introduction to the work of a writer who can seem intimidating to the uninitiated. It has given me the confidence to read more Borges, and that seems to me exactly what these small Penguin Modern collections should do.

I've said this before, but there's a special thrill to reading a famous writer's work and immedia

I've said this before, but there's a special thrill to reading a famous writer's work and immediately understanding how they've informed the work of other authors I love – that feeling of a missing puzzle piece clicking into place. From this small selection of stories, I can already see clear influences on some of my favourite books by Nina Allan and Joshua Cohen.

I've tried to read 'The Garden of Forking Paths' (1941) in the past and found it impenetrable (ironic, I know). This time I persisted, and although it took me a while (relatively speaking) to have any idea what was going on, by the end I saw its beauty and genius.

'The Book of Sand' (1975) was my favourite, and also the most accessible. (I wonder if that has anything to do with when it was translated – presumably much later than the others given its comparably late original publication date? It's not clear from the information at the beginning of the book.) A fascinating concept and a perfect ending.

'The Circular Ruins' (1941) is a cosmic, dreamlike fantasy, evoking its settings (the jungle and the world of one's mind) with a claustrophobic accuracy.

'On Exactitude in Science' (1946) is a paragraph only, framed as an extract; I would have taken it for an epigraph if not for the table of contents. A perfect example of a passage you have to read a few times to fully grasp its imagery.

'Death and the Compass' (1942) is a labyrinthine murder mystery. Not the sort of plot I expected to find here, and all the more pleasing for that.

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May 31, 2020 Matthew Ted rated it it was amazing

85th book of 2020.

These were all brilliant- philosophical, labyrinthine stories. I've had some sentences, some fragments from each of the stories prevail upon me, so I will blur the lines between the 5 stories within this, leaving no distinction from which each comes - so my review, in itself, becomes another labyrinth. As ever, Borges' actual words (or anyone else who is not me) will be italicised.

It seems recently that more and more, this

wonderful line of Frost's is becoming more applicable: 85th book of 2020.

It seems recently that more and more, this

wonderful line of Frost's is becoming more applicable:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both

The garden's metaphor for "time" itself - This network of times which approached one another, forked, broke offor were unaware of one another centuries, embraces all possibilities of time. And we may lay in temples and hallucinate, we may imagine our selves, not 'ourselves' but many of our 'self', in different bodies, walking different roads, for we are sorry we cannot travel both. To see where the winding path leads, from that forking path. Soon enough we realise that the forking paths are infinite, there are infinite possibilities, a book with no beginning or end, a book you could thumb through forever and make no progress. One can make no progress through time except forward. Even when life makes little sense, and murders begin to happen, and if one kills the right man, then maybe the correct city will be bombed, maybe a book can be buried (but not forgotten) and maybe in the end - you realise you never existed anyway. Maybe you'll realise this with relief, with humiliation, with terror...

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Sep 16, 2018 Kirsty rated it it was ok

I do not think I had ever read any of Argentinian author Borges' work before picking up the forty-sixth Penguin Modern,The Garden of Forking Paths. I was not entirely sure, from other reviews which I have seen of various pieces of Borges' work, whether this would be for me. Collected here are several 'fantastical tales of mazes, puzzles, lost labyrinths and bookish mysteries, from the unique imagination of a literary magician', and all were first published during the 1940s. They have been va I do not think I had ever read any of Argentinian author Borges' work before picking up the forty-sixth Penguin Modern,The Garden of Forking Paths. I was not entirely sure, from other reviews which I have seen of various pieces of Borges' work, whether this would be for me. Collected here are several 'fantastical tales of mazes, puzzles, lost labyrinths and bookish mysteries, from the unique imagination of a literary magician', and all were first published during the 1940s. They have been variously translated by Donald A. Yates, Andrew Hurley, and James E. Irby.

The stories in this collection are the title story, alongside 'The Book of Sand', 'The Circular Ruins', 'On Exactitude in Science', and 'Death and the Compass'. All are very short, and 'On Exactitude in Science' covers just a single page. There are some interesting ideas at play throughout, and I found the collection strange and unusual. I could never quite guess where the stories were going to end up.

Whilst I foundThe Garden of Forking Paths interesting enough to read, and enjoyed some of the quite beguiling descriptions in its pages, it has not sparked an interest within me to pick up any more of Borges' work. I can see why other readers would really enjoy this collection, but it was not really my style. The tales were a little obscure for my particular taste at times, and I found that they sometimes ended a little abruptly.

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Mar 12, 2018 Tosh rated it it was amazing

Wow! I do have the complete short stories of Borges in the household, but had the chance to pick up on that. Meanwhile I did purchase this little book of short stories by Borges in Japan for reading on my flight back to Los Angeles, and it's an amazing experience, especially when I'm suffering from jet-lag. "The Book of Sand" is the story for book collectors and those who are fascinated with collections. I identify with the leading character, in the sense of having such a sacred volume. Then aga Wow! I do have the complete short stories of Borges in the household, but had the chance to pick up on that. Meanwhile I did purchase this little book of short stories by Borges in Japan for reading on my flight back to Los Angeles, and it's an amazing experience, especially when I'm suffering from jet-lag. "The Book of Sand" is the story for book collectors and those who are fascinated with collections. I identify with the leading character, in the sense of having such a sacred volume. Then again, this story could talk to all sort of collectors. There is even a classic who-done-it mystery as well. From high literature to detective fiction - it's Borges' world, and I'm happy to enter that planet. ...more

Feb 02, 2019 Lotte rated it liked it

Sometimes magical realism really works for me (and then it really works for me) and sometimes it doesn't. Most of these stories are very heavy on the fantastical, fairytale aspects of magical realism which I found a little confusing at times. I might just need to re-read them at some point though. Sometimes magical realism really works for me (and then it really works for me) and sometimes it doesn't. Most of these stories are very heavy on the fantastical, fairytale aspects of magical realism which I found a little confusing at times. I might just need to re-read them at some point though. ...more

The master of all things metaphysical and dark. Borges was surreal, washed in darkness, and strangely distant, long before it was ever considered cool and/or hip. Think of him as the Proto-Goth, think of him as whomever you wish, but any reader who enjoys the strange and shadowy should give Borges a try.

Oct 09, 2019 Patty rated it really liked it

A fun little foray into Borges' expansive imagination. I love these little Penguin moderns for giving me a taste of famous authors I've maybe not read before. I'll definitely be picking up more by Borges. A fun little foray into Borges' expansive imagination. I love these little Penguin moderns for giving me a taste of famous authors I've maybe not read before. I'll definitely be picking up more by Borges. ...more

Borges is definitely a skilled and talented writer but these short stories did nothing for me. They are clever, and his word choice is deliberate and poetic but none of them provoked any sort of feeling which made my reading experience a little uninteresting. I won't be thinking about any of these stories after I press 'Post' on this review. Borges is definitely a skilled and talented writer but these short stories did nothing for me. They are clever, and his word choice is deliberate and poetic but none of them provoked any sort of feeling which made my reading experience a little uninteresting. I won't be thinking about any of these stories after I press 'Post' on this review. ...more

A good collection of stories that exemplify Borges' style. Most of the stories here can also be found in Labyrinths, which is where I first came across them. A good collection of stories that exemplify Borges' style. Most of the stories here can also be found in Labyrinths, which is where I first came across them. ...more

4 out of 5 stars

I find this a very charming introduction to the work of Borges. The whimsical writing style matches the subject matter at hand perfectly, namely infinity. As the book synopsis says, these "fantastical tales" are sure to capture your curiosity and interest, especiallybif you're fond of mazes and paradoxes.

Happy reading!

4 out of 5 stars

Happy reading!

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I did enjoy this collection of short stories and the common theme of labyrinths/puzzles running through them, although they were very brief, which was a shame. This was my first exposure to Jorge Luis Borges and I would like to read something more substantial from him.

The Garden of Forking Paths – nothing particularly original or special. So complicated in the beginning, it was difficult to get going. 3/5

The Book of Sand – really short, insubstantial story but an interesting idea. 4/5

The Circula

The Garden of Forking Paths – nothing particularly original or special. So complicated in the beginning, it was difficult to get going. 3/5

The Book of Sand – really short, insubstantial story but an interesting idea. 4/5

The Circular Ruins – I enjoyed the esoteric and mysterious nature of this story. It was well crafted and the language (I know it's translated) appropriately abstruse. 4/5

On Exactitude in Science – umm… one page? I guess maps could be as big as the places they represent. 2/5

Death and the Compass – started off strongly as a mysterious Jewish mysticism-inspired serial killing, but ended disappointingly and with confusion. 3/5

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I loved the title story and The Book of Sand. Borges is certainly consistent in his themes - twisting philosophical tales about an eternity of possibilities.

Oct 08, 2019 Julia rated it really liked it

Borges is el maestro. The master of books, the great magician, he could write short stories (or any stories) like no one else. I love the way he writes and I enjoy it even more in Spanish. These stories are just appetizers for what we can expect from his most famous books and I didn't give it 5/5 because these are not my favourite stories of his. Otherwise, a perfect collection of short stories, about the time, how we perceive it, about its characteristics, about all the possibilites we have wit Borges is el maestro. The master of books, the great magician, he could write short stories (or any stories) like no one else. I love the way he writes and I enjoy it even more in Spanish. These stories are just appetizers for what we can expect from his most famous books and I didn't give it 5/5 because these are not my favourite stories of his. Otherwise, a perfect collection of short stories, about the time, how we perceive it, about its characteristics, about all the possibilites we have with the time that is given to us, and it is all presented in an extremely appealing way, under the cover of murder mystery/crime. Moreover, in Borges' world everything sounds so plausible that it is hard to believe these stories, the details he described have never happened and never will, and everytime I read his fiction, I cannot believe that they are the work of one humble mind. ...more

Jul 20, 2019 Cem Yüksel rated it really liked it

As always with Borges's books , it was a break either from reality or very straightforward (somehow dull) thinking. Forking paths with the idea of embracing all possibilities of time , is between both while Book of Sand with infinite book and Circular ruins with being dreamt by another just to be understood by the test of fire are in the first classification. Both drive the thinking about contemporary arguments of time in post quantum era and existential discussions lately about what the reality As always with Borges's books , it was a break either from reality or very straightforward (somehow dull) thinking. Forking paths with the idea of embracing all possibilities of time , is between both while Book of Sand with infinite book and Circular ruins with being dreamt by another just to be understood by the test of fire are in the first classification. Both drive the thinking about contemporary arguments of time in post quantum era and existential discussions lately about what the reality of existence. Good read for people who like above mentioned concepts. ...more

This is a great little collection, centered around labyrinths. I really adore Borges' writing, it's whimsical and really masterful, and I really enjoyed these little stories. His prose is a lot like a dream - you never know exactly how you got there, but it's still so magical and immersive. Definitely recommend This is a great little collection, centered around labyrinths. I really adore Borges' writing, it's whimsical and really masterful, and I really enjoyed these little stories. His prose is a lot like a dream - you never know exactly how you got there, but it's still so magical and immersive. Definitely recommend ...more

I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but these ones are so captivating! Making me wish more and more of them, they are full of meaning and complex while ending at the perfect point. I wouldn't say they're a light read, but they're perfect for an afternoon or as reading-on-the-go material. Absolutely stunning, totally recommend! I'm not usually a fan of short stories, but these ones are so captivating! Making me wish more and more of them, they are full of meaning and complex while ending at the perfect point. I wouldn't say they're a light read, but they're perfect for an afternoon or as reading-on-the-go material. Absolutely stunning, totally recommend! ...more

Jan 08, 2020 Marloes rated it really liked it

3.5 stars. This was a nice introduction to Jorge Luis Borges and I now know that I'm not at all ready to read one of his novels. These short stories were just right. Not all, but the ones who were are brilliant (Book of Sand. Book of Sand. Book of Sand!!!). 3.5 stars. This was a nice introduction to Jorge Luis Borges and I now know that I'm not at all ready to read one of his novels. These short stories were just right. Not all, but the ones who were are brilliant (Book of Sand. Book of Sand. Book of Sand!!!). ...more

An ironic parabole on the workings of time.

Jun 24, 2019 Kirstin rated it it was amazing

An amazing little volume with five pieces of short fiction by Borges.

Oct 03, 2019 Alex rated it really liked it

The Garden of Forking Paths: 3 stars
The Book of Sand: 4 stars
The Circular Ruins: 4 stars
On Exactitude of Science: 3 stars
Death and the Compass: 5 stars

Dec 17, 2020 MANOJ P rated it liked it

'The Garden of Forkin Paths' is a collection of five stories by the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges. These are stories of mazes, puzzles, lost labyrinths, mysteries, philosophies, and dreams. The stories in this collection are:

1. The Garden of Forking Paths
2. The Book of Sand
3. The Circular Ruins
4. On Exactitude in Science
5. Death and the Compass

It's a bit confusing to understand these stories' ideas since it is typical of Borges' writing style. It is an okay kind of book. I found it very dif

1. The Garden of Forking Paths
2. The Book of Sand
3. The Circular Ruins
4. On Exactitude in Science
5. Death and the Compass

It's a bit confusing to understand these stories' ideas since it is typical of Borges' writing style. It is an okay kind of book. I found it very difficult to complete even though there are only 54 pages. Maybe I can enjoy it if I try to read it later with a less stressful mind.

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Jan 09, 2021 Stan Georgiana rated it really liked it

The garden of forking paths 4
The book of sand 5
The circular ruins 4
On exactitude in science 2
Death and the compass 5

which leads us to exactly 4 stars, as Borges would have liked it.

I read Aleph some years ago and I think I was not prepared for his style, so imaginative and well developed. I intend to read more because I enjoyed this short book and he had a huge impact on South American authors.

#invisiblecities project

Maybe it's the translation, or maybe I just really didn't like it. I felt the stories were really boring, I didn't really get what was going on in the first one and it just wasn't anything special. Maybe it's the translation, or maybe I just really didn't like it. I felt the stories were really boring, I didn't really get what was going on in the first one and it just wasn't anything special. ...more

Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo, usually referred to as Jorge Luis Borges (Spanish pronunciation: [xoɾxe lwis boɾxes]), was an Argentine writer and poet born in Buenos Aires. In 1914, his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school and traveled to Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in Surrealist literary journals. He also wo Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo, usually referred to as Jorge Luis Borges (Spanish pronunciation: [xoɾxe lwis boɾxes]), was an Argentine writer and poet born in Buenos Aires. In 1914, his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school and traveled to Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in Surrealist literary journals. He also worked as a librarian and public lecturer. Borges was fluent in several languages. He was a target of political persecution during the Peron regime, and supported the military juntas that overthrew it.

Due to a hereditary condition, Borges became blind in his late fifties. In 1955, he was appointed director of the National Public Library (Biblioteca Nacional) and professor of Literature at the University of Buenos Aires. In 1961, he came to international attention when he received the first International Publishers' Prize Prix Formentor. His work was translated and published widely in the United States and in Europe. He died in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1986.

J. M. Coetzee said of Borges: "He, more than anyone, renovated the language of fiction and thus opened the way to a remarkable generation of Spanish American novelists."

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