The short story The Garden of Forking Paths was written by Jorge Luis Borges. The author was born in Argentina in 1899 and a key figure in Spanish-language literature. Most of his works are rather short and were published in story collections. Reoccurring themes in his works are eternity, time, books, reality and illusion.
The short story The Garden of Forking Paths was published first in 1941. However, the plot of the story is set in 1916. Doctor Yu Tsun, the main character, is a spy for the German Empire who lives in the United Kingdom during World War I. Tsun is pursued by an MI5 agent called Captain Richard Madden. In order to convey an important message to his German handlers he meets his old friend Doctor Stephen Albert. When walking to his house Tsun reflects on his great ancestor Ts'ui Pên. While his talk with Albert Tsun realizes that the unfinished notes that Ts'ui Pên left before his death are actually the intricate labyrinth that he wanted to create. These notes are his attempt to describe a world where all possible outcomes of an event occur simultaneously. Following this realization Tsun kills Albert in order to pass on his important message to his handlers.
The vision of the “forking paths” that are described by Borges in his text has been cited as inspiration within the field of hypertext fiction. Further parallels can be drawn to the internet. In this new medium the user has unlimited choices by using links and hyperlinks as described in the text by the example of the story fragments that form a labyrinth.
The short story The Garden of Forking Paths was published first in 1941. However, the plot of the story is set in 1916. Doctor Yu Tsun, the main character, is a spy for the German Empire who lives in the United Kingdom during World War I. Tsun is pursued by an MI5 agent called Captain Richard Madden. In order to convey an important message to his German handlers he meets his old friend Doctor Stephen Albert. When walking to his house Tsun reflects on his great ancestor Ts'ui Pên. While his talk with Albert Tsun realizes that the unfinished notes that Ts'ui Pên left before his death are actually the intricate labyrinth that he wanted to create. These notes are his attempt to describe a world where all possible outcomes of an event occur simultaneously. Following this realization Tsun kills Albert in order to pass on his important message to his handlers.
The vision of the “forking paths” that are described by Borges in his text has been cited as inspiration within the field of hypertext fiction. Further parallels can be drawn to the internet. In this new medium the user has unlimited choices by using links and hyperlinks as described in the text by the example of the story fragments that form a labyrinth.
To read the full short story follow this link.
J. Ost
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