A Creature Imagined by C. s. Lewis
The creature is a being from another world that has been brought to Earth and is struggling to understand human nature. It observes humans with curiosity and detachment, noting their contradictions and flaws. The creature's presence serves as a catalyst for the protagonist to re-examine his own values and assumptions about humanity. Through its interactions with the creature, the protagonist comes to realize that humans are capable of both good and evil, and that morality is not always clear-cut.
By Jorge Luis Borges · First published 1957 · Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction · 266 words
First lines
Slowly, shakily, with unnatural and inhuman movements a human form, scarlet in the firelight, crawled out on to the floor of the cave. It was the Un-man, of course: dragging its broken leg and with its lower jaw sagging open like that of a corpse, it raised itself to a standing position. And then, close behind it, something else came up out of the hole. First came what looked like branches of trees, and then seven or eight spots of light, irregularly grouped like a constellation. Then a tubular mass which reflected the red glow as if it were polished. His heart gave a great leap as the branches suddenly resolved themselves into long wiry feelers and the dotted lights became the many eyes of a shell-helmeted head and the mass that followed it was revealed as a large roughly cylindrical body.
What this Textopian page supports
A Creature Imagined by C. s. Lewis is listed on Textopian as a short story by Jorge Luis Borges, dated 1957 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Jorge Luis Borges
- Date: 1957 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adventure, Psychological
- Length: 266 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Creature Imagined by C. s. Lewis by Jorge Luis Borges
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Horror — The description of the Un-man and the grotesque creature evokes fear and dread, typical of horror.
- Fantasy — The presence of fantastical creatures and the surreal setting align with fantasy elements.
- Science Fiction — The unnatural and inhuman movements suggest speculative elements common in science fiction.
- Adventure — The narrative implies a journey or confrontation, characteristic of adventure stories.
Tags
Fantasy · Philosophy · Mythology · Literary Fiction · Speculative Fiction · Imaginary Creatures · Symbolism · Allegory · Fable · Paradox · Metaphysics · Mystery