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The Garden of Forking Paths | Introduction

First published in 1941, "The Garden of Forking Paths" ("El jardin de senderos que se bifurcan") marked a turning point in the literary career of Jorge Luis Borges. In fact, the story helped to establish his reputation as a fiction writer.

His fiction received immediate critical acclaim in Argentina, even though he failed to win an important prize the year of the book's release. Outraged, other Argentinean writers and critics devoted an entire issue of the prominent literary journal, Sur, to Borges and his work.

As in his other stories, Borges uses fiction as a vehicle to explore philosophical and literary issues. Consequently, the characters in his stories seem less developed. In "The Garden of Forking Paths," he uses the genre of the detective story—a genre that requires clue-gathering and puzzle-solving—in order to explore the way time branches into an infinite number of futures.

Widely anthologized,"The Garden of Forking Paths'' continues to generate interest among scholars and students. Its clever plot and sophisticated philosophical exploration of the nature of time inspires much critical commentary.

The Garden of Forking Paths Summary

The story opens with a brief passage from a history of World War I, presented by an unnamed narrator. The narrator refers to a statement by a character, Dr. Yu Tsun, made during World War I. The narrator suggests the first passage is connected to Yu Tsun's statement.

Dr. Yu Tsun, a Chinese national and a former professor of English, reveals in his statement that he is a German spy. He recounts the events leading to his arrest, beginning with when he discovers that his contact has been killed. He knows he must devise a way to get an important message to the Germans. He looks in a telephone book and finds the name of a man, Stephen Albert. Yu Tsun thinks Albert will be able to help, although he does not reveal how he knows this.

Yu Tsun then recounts how he travels to Dr. Albert's house, pursued by Captain Richard Madden, an Irishman in service to the English. When Yu Tsun arrives, Dr. Albert mistakes him for a Chinese consul that he knows; Dr. Albert assumes that the Chinese man is there to view his garden. Yu Tsun discovers... » Complete The Garden of Forking Paths Summary

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1. The Garden of Forking Paths: Introduction
2. The Garden of Forking Paths: Summary
3. The Garden of Forking Paths: Jorge Luis Borges Biography
4. The Garden of Forking Paths: Characters
5. The Garden of Forking Paths: Themes
6. The Garden of Forking Paths: Style
7. The Garden of Forking Paths: Historical Context
8. The Garden of Forking Paths: Critical Overview
9. The Garden of Forking Paths: Essays and Criticism
   1. Borges' Use of Metafiction in "The Garden of Forking Paths"
   2. Irony Grows in My Garden: Generative Processes in Borges's "The Garden of Forking Paths"
   3. The Garden of and in Borges "Garden of Forking Paths"
10. The Garden of Forking Paths: Compare and Contrast
11. The Garden of Forking Paths: Topics for Further Study
12. The Garden of Forking Paths: Media Adaptations
13. The Garden of Forking Paths: What Do I Read Next?
14. The Garden of Forking Paths: Bibliography and Further Reading
15. The Garden of Forking Paths: Pictures
16. Copyright

Related Topics

1. Jorge Luis Borges
2. Latin American Literature

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