The Rain Bird by Jorge Luis Borges
This work is a short story that explores the concept of identity and reality through the narrative of a man who discovers that he has been replaced by an identical duplicate. The duplicate, known as the "Rain Bird," is a perfect replica of the original, but with one key difference: it is aware of its own existence as a duplicate.
By Jorge Luis Borges · First published 1957 · Genre: Mythology, Fantasy, Historical Fiction · 202 words
First lines
When rain is needed, Chinese farmers have at their disposal besides the dragon the bird called the shang yang. It has only one leg. Long ago, children hopped up and down on one foot, wrinkling their brows and repeating: ‘It will thunder, it will rain, 'cause the shang yang's here again! ' The tradition runs that the bird drew water from the rivers with its beak and blew it out as rain on the thirsting fields.
Similar titles
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Genres
- Mythology — The narrative centers around a mythical bird, the shang yang, and its role in ancient Chinese folklore.
- Fantasy — The story involves fantastical elements such as a one-legged bird that can control rain, and a wizard who tames it.
- Historical Fiction — The setting and characters, including the Prince of Ch'i and Confucius, are rooted in historical context.
- Fable — The tale conveys a moral lesson about heeding wise counsel to prevent disaster.
Tags
Philosophical Fiction · Magical Realism · Short Story Collection · Literary Experimentation · Existentialism · Absurdism · Symbolism · Metaphysics · Mythology · Fictional Reality · Time and Space · Memory and Identity
What this Textopian page supports
The Rain Bird 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: Mythology, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fable, Folklore
- Length: 202 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Rain Bird by Jorge Luis Borges
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- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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