The Garden of Forking Paths
A man named Red Scharlach is imprisoned for murder and attempts to escape by creating multiple timelines through a labyrinthine narrative. The story explores the concept of time and reality, blurring the lines between past, present, and future.
By Jorges Luis Borges · First published 1941 · Genre: Metafiction, Mystery, Philosophical Fiction · 8 chapters · 24,512 words
First lines
The eight pieces of this book do not require extraneous elucidation. The eighth piece, "The Garden of Forking Paths," is a detective story; its readers will assist at the execution, and all the preliminaries, of a crime, a crime whose purpose will not be unknown to them, but which they will not understand-it seems to me-until the last paragraph. The other pieces are fantasies. One of them, "The Babylon Lottery," is not entirely innocent of symbolism.
What this Textopian page supports
The Garden of Forking Paths is listed on Textopian as a novella by Jorges Luis Borges, dated 1941 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novella
- Author: Jorges Luis Borges
- Date: 1941 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Metafiction, Mystery, Philosophical Fiction, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction
- Length: 24,512 words
- Structure: 8 chapters, 170 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Garden of Forking Paths by Jorges 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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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Garden of Forking Paths?
- How does this novella by Jorges Luis Borges fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Metafiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Disk by Jorge Luis Borges
- Laudatores Temporis Acti by Jorge Luis Borges
- Afterword by Jorge Luis Borges
- The Mirror Of Ink by Jorge Luis Borges
- The Leveller by Jorge Luis Borges
- Theme Of The Traitor And Hero by Jorge Luis Borges
Genres
- Metafiction — The narrative explores the nature of fiction and reality, blurring the lines between the two.
- Mystery — The plot revolves around a secret and a murder, typical elements of a mystery story.
- Philosophical Fiction — The story delves into philosophical themes such as time, reality, and the nature of decision-making.
- Science Fiction — The concept of multiple, branching realities aligns with science fiction themes.
Tags
Philosophical Fiction · Short Story Collection · Literary Experimentation · Time Travel · Parallel Universes · Futurism · Speculative Fiction · Metafiction · Self-Reference · Labyrinthine Narrative · Non-Linear Storytelling · Existentialism
Contents
- Prologue
- Tlön, Uqbar, Orbius Tertius
- The Approach to Al-Mu'Tasim
- The Circular Ruins
- Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote
- The Lottery of Babylon
- A Glimpse into the Work of Herbert Quain
- The Library of Babel