Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986)

Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1968)
The Garden of the Forking Paths
Argentinian
Modernism
Jorge Luis Borges was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father was a lawyer who also published a few poems. Borges would credit him with teaching a young Borges about the possibility of language. His mother translated the works of William Faulkner and Franz Kafka into Spanish. At the age of nine, Borges would follow in her footsteps and publish a Spanish translation of Oscar Wilde’s “The Happy Prince.” He went on to translate works of Walt Whitman and James Joyce when he was older. After World War I, Borges edited literary magazines, such as Prisma and Proa. In his writing, experimentation with space and time are the hallmarks much of his work. His use of Magical Realism and experimental style ran counter to the Expressionism popular at the time. Borges’s writing, especially the works after 1930, would have the attention to detail and daily life that instils realism into the texts. His form of Magical Realism incorporates moments of improbability that provide the contrast with the reality he is rendering. The improbable connections in his work may be reflection of Jung’s influence on Borges’s writing. This attention to detail takes precedence in his work over traits such as developing sympathetic characters. “The Garden of Forking Paths” is from his first major collection of the same name, published in 1941. The short story combines elements of detective fiction with experimental plot structures and different realities. Borges undercuts the expected ending of the detective fiction by providing the reader with multiple possible outcomes. In the work, Borges uses one of his favorite concepts, a labyrinth, to explore ideas of space, connection, and time.
Consider while reading:

1. What elements of detective fiction does Borges include in “The Garden of Forking Paths”?
2. How does having multiple possible outcomes influence the resolution of the text?
3. How does Borges use the symbolism of the labyrinth?
4. Borges is known for his use of magical realism and his work in the science fiction genre. How does Borges incorporate magical realism into “The Garden of Forking Paths?” What effect does it create?

Written by Laura Ng