Laudatores Temporis Acti
The work is a collection of essays that explore the concept of time and its relationship to human experience. It critiques traditional notions of progress and argues that our understanding of time is often distorted by cultural and historical biases. The essays examine various aspects of time, including its measurement, perception, and representation in literature and art.
By Jorge Luis Borges · First published 1949 · Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Speculative Fiction · 305 words
First lines
The seventeenth-century Portuguese sea captain, Luiz da Silveira, in his De Gentibus et Moribus Asiae (Lisbon, 1669) refers somewhat obliquely to an Eastern sect whether Indian or Chinese we are not told which he calls, using a Latin tag, Laudatories Temporis Acti. The good captain is no metaphysician or theologian, but he none the less makes clear the nature of time past as conceived by the Worshippers. The past to us is merely a section of time, or a series of sections that were once the present and that may now be approximately recalled by memory or by history. Both memory and history make these sections, of course, part of the present. To the Worshippers, the past is absolute; it never had a present, nor can it be remembered or even guessed at. Neither unity nor plurality can be ascribed to it, since these are attributes of the present. The same may be said of its denizens if the plural be allowed with respect to their colour, size, weight, shape, and so on. Nothing about the beings of this Once That Never Was can be either affirmed or denied.
What this Textopian page supports
Laudatores Temporis Acti is listed on Textopian as an essay by Jorge Luis Borges, dated 1949 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Essay
- Author: Jorge Luis Borges
- Date: 1949 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Philosophical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Metafiction, Short Story
- Length: 305 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Laudatores Temporis Acti 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
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Laudatores Temporis Acti?
- How does this essay by Jorge Luis Borges fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Philosophical Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Afterword by Jorge Luis Borges
- Theme Of The Traitor And Hero by Jorge Luis Borges
- The Disk by Jorge Luis Borges
- The Generous Enemy by Jorge Luis Borges
- The Garden Of Forking Paths by Jorges Luis Borges
- The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges
Genres
- Philosophical Fiction — Explores complex metaphysical concepts about time and existence.
- Historical Fiction — Set in the seventeenth century with references to historical figures and texts.
- Speculative Fiction — Imagines a fictional sect with unique beliefs about the past.
- Metafiction — Reflects on the nature of storytelling and historical narrative.
Tags
Philosophical Fiction · Literary Essay · Short Story Collection · Existentialism · Absurdism · Time Travel · Memory · Reality · Illusion · Futurism · Speculative Fiction · Paradox